It shouldn’t have taken a change in the law – or a TV drama – to deliver justice to the Post Office victims

Editorial: Many of those wrongfully accused of stealing money have been protesting their innocence for more than 20 years. So why did it take the government so long to act? And who will pay the price?

Between 1999 and 2015, the Post Office prosecuted more than 700 of its workers (AFP/Getty)

The Post Office scandal has dragged on for so long, been so traumatising for its survivors, and has – albeit latterly – provoked such public outrage that the pressure to cut the Gordian knot has grown irresistible. Hence the arrival of a new law that will, almost immediately, exonerate victims and speed up redress and compensation.

After so long (the scandal dates back at least 20 years), any sort of justice is to be warmly welcomed.

The recent ITV series, Mr Bates vs the Post Office, provoked a visceral reaction to the plight of hundreds of innocent people who were prosecuted and persecuted. In a few particularly tragic instances, it led to suicide; in many, it also meant reputational damage, social ostracism, ill-health and family breakdowns. Some innocent victims went to jail; others suffered bankruptcy. The mental torture stretched out over decades. Britain has been deeply moved – and politicians, at long last, have been forced to pay attention.