Former Post Office chairman claims colleagues said there was ‘not an ounce of racism in me’ – The Irish News

Sacked post office president Henry Staunton has denied using racist or misogynistic comments during a meeting – saying his colleagues said “there wasn’t an ounce of racism in me”.

Henry Staunton told the Horizon IT investigation he was “deeply stung” by allegations of inappropriate comments following a meeting regarding candidates to chair the Post Office’s remuneration committee.

Mr Staunton was fired by former business secretary Kemi Badenoch in January as she said she was forced to intervene due to “difficulties” with the governance of the Post Office, leading to a public argument between the two men.

Ms Badenoch then said the former president was under investigation over allegations of bullying before his dismissal.

Mr Staunton told the inquest his “willingness to contradict Post Office orthodoxy on the treatment of postmasters meant my card was marked”.

In his testimony to the inquiry, Mr Staunton said he was a “champion of diversity”, and colleagues had raised concerns with him about how the investigation into his comments was “contrived, unfair and bizarre.”

In his witness statement, Mr Staunton said: “I completely deny these allegations and feel deeply stung by them.

“At the Post Office, as in my previous career, I was a champion of diversity.

“I find racism and misogyny absolutely abhorrent. My colleagues at the Post Office knew this well.

“As an example only, I reacted forcefully when I learned that the Postal Service had used racist terms to categorize postmasters.

“I told senior management that I was ‘furious’ on behalf of our ethnic minority staff, and indeed on behalf of all our colleagues.

“At the subsequent board meeting where we discussed this issue, I stated that the company’s employees felt disappointed and wondered how we had managed to mark ‘this huge own goal.”

Mr Staunton took up his role with the Post Office in December 2022 after nine years as chairman of WHSmith.

He said he attended an interview with lawyer Marianne Tutin, who led an investigation into a complaint made by the Post Office’s former human resources director, Jane Davies, in late January.

Mr Staunton also said he was “shocked” by Ms Badenoch’s comments in the House of Commons that he was being investigated for harassment – ​​describing her comments as “baseless”.

He said: “I was more than willing to cooperate with the investigation as it was important to me to clear my name in the face of these smears. »

Continuing to respond to accusations of inappropriate comments, Mr. Staunton said: “The allegations about me have caused me both personal anguish and professional difficulties; I was obliged to respond to questions from the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAEW) regarding the investigation.

“I was very grateful that three of my former non-executive director colleagues, all from minority ethnic backgrounds, as well as Ms Davies, the former (HR director), wrote in my defense to the ICAEW to put on record that I have never engaged in racist or sexist behavior.

“All three directors said they believed there was not an ounce of racism in me and that I was indeed a champion for greater ethnic and gender diversity on the board.

“Separately, the non-executive directors have all orally raised concerns with me about the facts and the conduct of the investigation itself, calling it “artificial”, “unfair” and “bizarre”.

Asked whether the culture within the Post Office encourages whistleblowers to openly express their concerns, Mr Staunton said: “From my own experience, I don’t think the culture has encouraged people to be able to express themselves safely and without repercussions.

“Although I was not given the reasons for my dismissal, it seems likely that my willingness to contradict the Post Office’s orthodoxy on the treatment of postmasters meant that my card was marked.

“I subsequently suffered a public attack on my reputation.”

More than 900 substation managers were taken to court between 1999 and 2015 after faulty Horizon accounting software made it appear as if money was missing from their stores.

Hundreds of people are still waiting for compensation, despite the previous government announcing that those whose convictions were overturned were eligible for compensation of £600,000.