New Malden ex-postmistress aims to stand against Sir Ed Davey

An ex-deputy postmistress from London says she will stand against Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey at the next general election, as he faces criticism over his role in the Post Office scandal.

Yvonne Tracey worked at New Malden post office for more than 30 years and said Sir Ed's attitude "must be challenged".

Sir Ed, MP for Kingston and Surbiton, initially refused to meet campaigner Alan Bates when he was a minister.

He has now said he was "deeply misled" by Post Office executives.

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Between 1999 and 2015, more than 700 branch owner-operators were wrongly prosecuted for theft, fraud and false accounting, on the basis of faulty information from Horizon software introduced by the Post Office.

Sir Ed was minister for postal affairs from 2010 to 2012 in the coalition government.

He has been the MP for Kingston and Surbiton since 2017, and served in the same role from 1997 to 2015.

Ms Tracey made reference to another accused postmaster, saying: "Here, in [Sir Ed's] own constituency, the sub-postmaster at Tolworth Post Office lost his home, his business and attempted suicide on more than one occasion.

"He tried three times to get in touch with Sir Ed and every time he was turned away, refused or ignored."

However, the Lib Dems said that sub-postmaster did not live in Sir Ed's constituency, and he could not take up the case under parliamentary convention.

Ms Tracey originally called for a current sub-postmaster or mistress to stand against Sir Ed but has decided to "take up the mantle" herself.

"I'm standing as a resident - not a politician - to put honesty and integrity back into this election, and fight tirelessly for justice once and for all for my former colleagues."

Ms Tracey is a ward councillor at Kingston borough council for Kingston Independent Residents Group.

A Lib Dem spokesperson told the BBC: "Ed's heart goes out to the families caught up in this scandal and his focus is on getting justice and compensation for those impacted.

"He bitterly regrets that the Post Office was not honest with him at the time and will fully cooperate with the inquiry to get to the bottom of what went wrong."

They added: "Ed has earned the reputation as a hardworking and tireless local MP, who helps thousands of residents, businesses and community groups every year, which has resulted in him serving the constituency for 30 years."

A public inquiry into the Post Office affair, which was launched in 2021, resumed this week. The Post Office said it aims to get to "the truth of what went wrong".

A spokesperson for Fujitsu, the tech company that developed the Horizon system, said the company recognised the "devastating impact on postmasters' lives and that of their families" and had "apologised for its role in their suffering".

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