The Post Office scandal exposes the “gulf” between the ruling class and the ruled in Britain, Nigel Farage has claimed.
Hundreds of subpostmasters were convicted of swindling money on the basis of evidence from a flawed IT system.
A long-running battle for justice has ensued, which dramatically accelerated after ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office highlighted the scandal.
Speaking on GB News, Nigel Farage likened the affair to the debanking scandal he became mired in, while hitting out at the treatment of ordinary people.
Nigel Farage says the Post Office scandal exposes the 'gulf' in Britain
GB NEWS / GETTY
“This is a classic case of the great and the good. Those with knighthoods, CBEs, peerages, and it has taken a docudrama on ITV to tug at the heartstrings of the public and make them realise, the little people are being ignored”, he said.
“That’s why the public feeling and momentum behind this campaign is just as strong as it was during the expenses scandal and the Brexit referendum.
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“It show the gulf that exists in this country between the governors and the governed.
“At last, it appears some recompense is coming, though I suspect when it comes to the fight for genuine compensation, this may take a long time.
“By which many of those who deserve to be compensated will probably have died.”
Farage likened the issue to the debanking scandal he found himself at the centre of, in which the GB News star obtained internal documents from Coutts showing the bank was concerned about “xenophobic, chauvinistic and racist views”.
Nigel Farage likened the scandal to the debanking saga
GB NEWS
“If you draw the parallel with debanking, who were the people hurt by it? Not me”, he said.
“I was big enough and ugly enough to fight back, but I can tell you there are tens of thousands of small businesses who were closed down by banks for no reason whatsoever.”
It comes after Rishi Sunak announced a new law to exonerate hundreds of Post Office branch managers caught up in the scandal.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said they were victims of “one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history”.
The Prime Minister told MPs: “We will introduce new primary legislation to ensure that those convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal are swiftly exonerated and compensated.”
Sunak also announced a new upfront payment of £75,000 for the “vital” group of postmasters who took action against the Post Office.
The new legislation will apply to convictions in England and Wales and Downing Street hopes they will be quashed by the end of the year.
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sunak said: “This is one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history.
“People who worked hard to serve their communities had their lives and their reputations destroyed through absolutely no fault of their own. The victims must get justice and compensation.”