Labour Leader's Tenure at Crown Prosecution Service Coincided with Controversial Cases

Sir Keir Starmer, the current leader of the Labour Party, has come under scrutiny for his role as the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) during a series of court cases involving subpostmasters. Sir Keir served as the top prosecutor from 2008 to 2013, a period during which the CPS was involved in 11 cases connected to the Horizon scandal.

Convictions and Calls for Exoneration

Out of the 11 cases, three resulted in convictions. However, a spokesperson for Sir Keir emphasized that no cases related to Horizon were brought to his desk during his tenure. The spokesperson described the Horizon scandal as one of the most significant miscarriages of justice in British history and stated that Labour has been advocating for swift exoneration and compensation for the victims.

Calls for Clarification

Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith has called on both Sir Keir and the CPS to clarify whether any of the subpostmaster cases occurred under his watch. The CPS, on the other hand, stated that the majority of these cases were private prosecutions initiated by the Post Office. They acknowledged that a small number of CPS cases involved evidence connected to Horizon, and the defendants in those cases were provided with information to pursue appeals.

Lib Dem Leader's Controversy

In a separate development, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey faced criticism after it was revealed that he refused to meet with Alan Bates, a lead campaigner, during his tenure as a minister in 2010.