Postmistress plots election challenge to Sir Ed Davey amid anger at his role in Post Office scandal

Sir Ed Davey is facing an election challenge from a former postmistress amid warnings that his role in the Post Office scandal will cost him vital votes.

Residents in the Liberal Democrat leader’s seat are planning to stand an independent candidate against him over his handling of the Horizon fiasco during his time as Post Office minister in 2010-12

They are in talks about putting up Yvonne Tracey, a local independent councillor who was the deputy manager of a Post Office branch, at the next general election.

Sir Ed lost his Kingston and Surbiton seat to the Tories as recently as 2015, and a rival campaign could eat into the majority of 10,000 he had when he won it back in 2017.

Cllr James Giles, the leader of the Kingston Independent Residents Group, said voters were bringing up Sir Ed’s role in the Post Office scandal on the doorstep.

“Discussions are ongoing about standing a former postmaster against Ed at the next election as an independent,” he told The Telegraph.

Cllr Tracey, a fellow independent on Kingston council, posted on social media: “Come the next election, it’s incumbent on those seeking justice for our sub-postmasters to stand against Ed.”

The revelation came as the political clamour for Sir Ed to stand down as party leader and hand back his knighthood intensified on Wednesday.

Sir Ed Davey oversaw the Post Office as a minister in David Cameron’s coalition government with the Lib Dems – JAMIE LORRIMAN

Sally Stringer, a former postmistress in Gloucestershire, said she had a letter which proved he was “fully aware” of the Horizon scandal when he had ministerial responsibility for the Post Office.

“I don’t think he is fit to hold the position of running a party in this country due to the fact that he is completely complicit with the problems at the Post Office from 2010 onwards on his watch,” Ms Stringer told the BBC.

“I’ve got a letter from Ed Davey to my ex-MP down in Worcestershire, where he is fully aware of what is going on, to quote, in the Post Office because he put it in writing.

“So either he is not telling the truth or he is stupid. It’s an election year and this issue is not going to go away across the board.”

Sathyan Shiju, a former postmaster in Sir Ed’s constituency, said he had contacted the MP three times over his problems with Horizon but never heard back.

MP ‘ignored postmaster’s plight’

He revealed he tried to contact Sir Ed after the software showed he had a shortfall which by 2006 had grown to more than £20,000.

“He refused to talk to me, I had no chance to talk to him,” he told LBC. “I wish I could say my MP had a chat with me, and that he tried, but he didn’t. He just completely ignored me.

“I was going through my worst nightmare and I was looking for someone to talk to, and somebody to believe me. Ed Davey should have talked to me.”

A Liberal Democrat spokesman said they didn’t have “any record” of the contact and that “Ed will be reaching out to Mr Shiju to find out exactly what happened”.

Lee Anderson, the Tory deputy chairman, called on Sir Ed to resign at Prime Minister’s Questions, saying he should “clear his desk, clear his diary, and clear off”.

Rishi Sunak did not directly respond, but his press secretary later said it was “right to point out Ed Davey is one of the first people usually to jump to judgment and call for someone to resign or lose their honour”.

Lies ‘on an industrial scale’

Wendy Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrats’ chief whip, defended her leader but said she understood the “visceral anger” over the Post Office scandal.

“He did ask questions and he was lied to on an industrial scale,” she said, adding that Sir Ed had “expressed extreme regret” over what happened.

“I appreciate the visceral anger that is here and the need to call people to account. I believe the public inquiry will do that and I know that Ed will take part and answer any questions,” she said. 

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