Post Office Horizon Compensation Scheme

Baroness Elliott of Whitburn Bay Excerpts

Thursday 27th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Elliott of Whitburn Bay (Lab) (Maiden Speech)]

My Lords, it is an enormous privilege to rise to make my maiden speech today in this place. I want to start by thanking Black Rod, her staff, the doorkeepers, police, and all the staff of this House for their warm welcome and support in my first few weeks here, and particularly for their help towards my family and friends on the day of my introduction—there was rather a large number of them.

I would also like to thank my supporters, my noble friend Lady Armstrong of Hill Top, one of my closest friends in politics and life, whose advice and guidance over many decades has been and continues to be invaluable to me, and my noble friend Lady Smith of Basildon, who has given me time, advice and guidance over the last few weeks.

Today, I want to give some background as to who I am, where I come from, and what motivates me and the areas where I feel I have most to contribute in this place.

I was born in my parents’ home, a council house in the village of Whitburn, the place I live today—I have never lived more than two miles from it in my entire life. My roots are very strong. I am a very much a northern woman who will stand up for the north at every opportunity I can.

My dad Harold worked as a blacksmith’s striker at the local colliery, and my mother Laura looked after the family and did little cleaning jobs to make ends meet. In my experience, that is the hardest work anyone can do. She was a very strong northern woman and was an enormous influence on me.

My brother Dennis, almost 15 years older than me, was an electrician at the colliery, and my sister Joan, who is 10 years older than me, was still at school when I was born. It is no underestimation to say that I was a little bit of a surprise to my family when I arrived. I was delighted that Joan was able to attend my introduction with her husband Derek, as sadly, only Joan and I are left from that family group.

Growing up, the community in my village was a very tight one, and still is. Neighbours were like family, and everyone looked out for each other. Most people did not have a lot of money—most men worked either at the local pits or the shipyards—but everyone believed in hard work, taking care of your family and your neighbours and wanting the best for everyone, and they had enormous aspiration for their children, although they would not have described it as that.

My family were not political, although they were very interested in current affairs. We watched the news, read lots of newspapers and discussed the issues of the day. I got involved in politics during the year-long miners’ strike of 1984, when, whatever the merits or otherwise of that strike, as a young woman coming from generations of miners on both sides of my family I felt that the Government of the day was attacking my way of life and the community I came from. I could not stand back and let that happen; I had to take a stand and make my voice heard in trying to defend my community, so I joined the Labour Party. I did not know it at the time, but that decision was to influence the path my life took in a way I would never have imagined or even thought possible all those years ago.

I have had the privilege of working for my party as a regional organiser, for my trade union—the GMB—for a charity, and then I had the honour of being the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Sunderland Central for 14 years.

My family is at the centre of my life. I have four grown-up children: Rebecca, Miles, Georgia and Helena, all of whom attended my introduction, along with five of my eight grandchildren, as well as my wonderful husband Andrew. They are at the centre of everything I do, and it is fair to say that I could not do what I do without their love and support.

My community, my strong sense of working-class values, my family and my passion for the north are the things that drive me and make me want to make a difference and contribute to public life. Over the years, I have developed an interest and expertise in all things connected to digital, culture, media and sport, having had the privilege of serving on the Select Committee in the other place for nine years; and the Middle East, with my involvement for several years as the co-chair of the Britain-Palestine All-Party Parliamentary Group. I also have a passion for promoting the north of England, its potential and its continuing regeneration.

I was pleased that my noble friend Lord Beamish, someone I have worked with in different roles for more than 30 years—there is a theme here from the north of England, where we all know each other—moved this debate on the progress, or perhaps lack of progress, on the Post Office Horizon compensation scheme today. More than a decade ago, two constituents came to see me at a surgery about the Horizon scandal. It was one of those moments in my time as a Member of Parliament when I was absolutely flabbergasted at the horror of what I learned had happened to my constituents. The female constituent had an exemplary work life in banking before she decided to take on a sub-post office. The couple had lived in a comfortable detached house in a very nice part of Sunderland that they had worked hard all of their lives to buy. When the Horizon system showed they owed hundreds of thousands of pounds that was missing, they had to sell their home and use the proceeds of that sale and all of their savings to pay the money back to the Post Office, to avoid prosecution and most likely prison.

This was wrong. It should not have happened, but, sadly, their story, as some of the stories that have already been talked about today, is just one of hundreds of cases. The victims of the Horizon scandal have waited far too long to get meaningful compensation. As has been described, even for those who have had some compensation, it has not been full or adequate. The Horizon system was introduced in 1999; the problems were actually known about before that. It is now time for Fujitsu to play its part and step up to the plate to pay some compensation. I urge all of those involved in this to move as quickly as is practically possible and pay all the victims of this scandal the moneys they so deserve.

I look forward to participating and making informed contributions in the future in your Lordships’ House.