Bates meeting refusal was poorly judged, Davey says

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey has apologised for his "poorly judged" and "terse" refusal to meet campaigner Sir Alan Bates for five months during his time as postal affairs minister.

- JOSH PAYNE

Sir Ed, who was in the role between 2010 and 2012, said he dismissed the meeting proposal because he "followed the advice and did not question it".

Following a letter from Sir Alan in which he told Sir Ed that the Post Office was acting as “judge, jury and executioner”, the MP for Kingston and Surbiton replied by saying: “I do not believe a meeting would serve any useful purpose”. He denied that he eventually met Sir Alan in October 2010 due to “presentational reasons” despite a briefing note prepared ahead of the meeting suggesting it was a consideration.

Sir Ed said the note was prepared for him “long after” the meeting had been arranged and said he met with the campaigner because he could “see he was cross at my initial response and wanted to hear his concerns directly”. He told the probe he was “deeply sorry for the individuals and families who have had their lives ruined” by the scandal.

In his witness statement to the Horizon IT inquiry, Sir Ed said: “Though I do not recall my response, I would have read it at speed and signed it in reliance on the advice of officials without giving the matter any deep consideration – there would have been nothing in this draft response which would have made me think that this was an important issue that officials were getting wrong and which I needed to grapple with.

“On reflection, and with the benefit of hindsight, I am really sorry that I followed the advice and did not question it, and I can also see why Sir Alan took offence at the phrase ‘I do not believe a meeting would serve any useful purpose’. It was poorly judged, and I apologise to Sir Alan for signing it off. I should have accepted Sir Alan’s request for a meeting when he first made it.”