Post Office halts development of Horizon replacement, facing backlash
New hardware to be installed without NBIT, insiders say
The Post Office has paused the development of its much-anticipated replacement for the Horizon IT system, a controversial software that contributed to one of the UK's most significant miscarriages of justice.
The Post Office had earlier planned to introduce new software and hardware to replace Horizon next year. However, due to ongoing challenges and delays in the development of the New Branch IT programme (NBIT), the organisation has opted to continue using the existing Horizon system for the time being, according to the Financial Times.
The Horizon scandal has cast a long shadow over the Post Office.
The faulty Fujitsu system was responsible for wrongly prosecuting over 900 sub-postmasters for financial discrepancies between 1999 and 2015. The software made it appear that money was missing from branches.
The repercussions were severe, with some individuals facing imprisonment, financial ruin, and, tragically, some even losing their lives. The High Court ruled in 2019 that the software contained "bugs, errors and defects," leading to wrongful prosecutions of sub-postmasters.
Last month, John Bartlett, director of assurance and complex investigations at the Post Office, told the Post Office IT Inquiry that changes to legal evidence introduced in 1999 effectively enabled the scandal to take place.
The inquiry, in September, uncovered a series of costly mistakes made by the organisation's IT department. It was found that a rush to secure a 5% discount on hardware purchases for the NBIT project has led to significant delays and potential compatibility issues.
Saf Ismail, a non-executive Post Office director, criticised the IT department, executives and procurement teams for their "costly mistakes" in the hardware procurement process.
"We were told at the board that we had to decide on the purchase of this hardware [and] we had to authorise it in late 2023. At the time, we were told we were getting a very good deal, hence why we did it at a 5% discount," Ismail said.
The Post Office's latest decision has drawn criticism from affected sub-postmasters and campaign groups. It also highlights the Post Office's ongoing struggle to recover from the Horizon scandal.
A 2023 YouGov survey of 1,483 sub-postmasters revealed that nearly 70% had continued to experience unexplained financial discrepancies on the system since 2020.
Richard Trinder, chair of the advocacy group Voice of the Postmaster, participated in early trials of the new NBIT system but found it lacking.
While "more intuitive" than Horizon, the software was described as "not fast enough" and capable of processing only domestic mail.
New hardware, such as upgraded computer screens, keyboards and faster printers, are currently sitting unused in a warehouse, awaiting NBIT's development.
Three people familiar with the matter told the Financial Times that the new hardware will now be installed without NBIT.
"It's just sitting there in a warehouse going out of date, it makes sense [to use the hardware]," said one of the people.
Trinder said: "They have spent all this money on the new hardware. Our money… so let's use it, instead of this clunky crap we've got at the moment."
The Post Office says it is exploring alternative options to NBIT, but the exact timeline for a full replacement of Horizon remains uncertain.