Post Office 'used racist term for black workers until 2016'

Language in an infamous Post Office document that categorised branch operators as "negroid types" was common in the public sector from the 1980s but continued to be used in the scandal-hit organisation until 2016, an inquiry has heard.

- Daniel Boffey

The document, which revealed that lawyers investigating post office operators in the Horizon computer scandal used a racist term to categorise black workers, first became public in May last year when it was released to campaigners seeking justice for those wrongfully prosecuted.

The public inquiry is examining how the Post Office pursued hundreds of branch owner-operators through the courts over account shortfalls based on evidence from the Horizon system, which was later shown to be faulty.