13-05-2025
Oldest surviving victim of the Post Office scandal savages Keir Starmer for 'continuing this little game' as she reveals she STILL hasn't been compensated
The oldest surviving victim of the Post Office Horizon scandal has hit out at the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer after revealing she is still waiting for her full compensation.
Betty Brown, 92, from Stanley, Durham, appeared on ITV 's Good Morning Britain on Tuesday and revealed she is convinced she will never see compensation in her lifetime.
More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts.
Hundreds are still awaiting compensation despite the previous government announcing that those who have had convictions quashed are eligible for £600,000 payouts. The Post Office has paid out roughly £438 million to 3,100 claimants.
But Mrs Brown says she is not one of those claimants.
The Durham native ran her Post Office in the small town of Stanley with her husband Oswald for more than 70 years.
During her decades-long service to the community, the postmistress said her world was turned upside down with the introduction of the Horizon system which regularly reported that there were shortfalls in her till of up to £1,500 a day.
Despite contacting the Post office helpline for support, Mrs Brown took the drastic step of using her life savings, more than £100,000 to plug the gap.
Speaking on the ITV breakfast show, the widow added that the stress of it led her husband to an early grave.
And she has now hit out at the Prime Minister and accused him of playing games instead of supporting those who were wrongly accused of stealing.
Mrs Brown told Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid that she feels she has been treated poorly but is determined not to give up and even at 92 will keep fighting for her money back.
'The determination I have will keep me going, and the anger even after 25 years, they stole my money after serving them for 76 years serving, my husband and I together.'
Mrs Brown also explained that and that she believes Sir Keir has been dragging his feet when it comes to ensuring victims are paid their full compensation.
'I can't understand why people like me are still yet to get justice and that's what we want. It's absolutely disgusting the way we've been treated. Diabolical.'
Mrs Brown added that she believes the Labour leader has all the necessary information to ensure the process is concluded as quickly as possible.
'He wants to do the deed, why is he carrying on, why is he continuing this little game he has?' she said.
Mrs Brown told Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid (pictured left) that she is determined not to give up and even at 92 will keep fighting for her money back
The widower also explained that and that she believes Sir Keir has been dragging his feet when it comes to ensuring victims are paid their full compensation
'He has all the information, all the experts who have investigated. Everything is there; accountants, medical professionals, all he has to do - it's all been analysed - he just has to put it together and get it finished.'
The widower called on Sir Keir to honour the repayments, and told the ITV hosts: 'Whenever these experts decide on a figure, 100 per cent must be paid and the PM must recognise it must all be paid'.
The Durham native went on to explain that she had been desperate to prove her innocence and regularly called in to the Post Office helpline to update them on the reported shortfall but was told it was her fault.
She said: 'I had a standing arrangement with my area manager. Every Thursday morning I had to phone the Post Office phone line, I had to tell them the balance from the night before.
'They knew but there was no support and I was told I was the only one it was happening to.'
Mrs Brown also revealed that the Post Office encouraged her to retire early because of the issues around her Horizon system and their decision crushed her husband who was suffering from cancer at the time and became fixated on the correspondence from the Post Office head office.
The widower called on Sir Keir to honour the repayments and said: 'Whenever these experts decide on a figure, 100 per cent must be paid and the PM must recognise it must all be paid'
'Every time you walked in to the room he was sitting on the settee reading this [letter] and I'd go away and when I'd go in he'd be reading again and I had to hide it to stop him reading it.
'The last words he ever said when the took ill, he had cancer like the king and he had dealt with this for 15 years, the experts in Newcastle that treated him couldn't believe it, they successfully treated him for 15 years but when [the letter] came he went gradually downhill.
'I used to go on the bus and he'd be sitting up in the bed and the first thing he always said was "any word from the Post Office?" and the next day "any word form the Post Office?" and this went on all the time and one day I went in and he said "they don't intent to do anything, how could they do anything like that to us?"'
'They were all his friends over the years and he trusted them 200 per cent but how could they do that to us?'.
