Post Office boss is to quit just days before inquiry into IT scandal
Post Office boss is to quit just days before inquiry into IT scandal that saw hundreds of staff wrongly convicted of theft
- Tim Parker, 66, will quit in the autumn and a search for his successor is under way
- From Monday a judge will begin hearing evidence from some of the 3,000 postmasters
- The postmasters were wrongly accused of stealing from their own tills
- Post Office eventually agreed to compensate victims
The Post Office chairman has announced his plans to step down just days before an inquiry into the company’s IT scandal begins.
Tim Parker, 66 – said to be worth £247million before the pandemic – will quit in the autumn and a search for his successor is now under way.
From Monday a judge will begin hearing evidence from some of the 3,000 postmasters who were wrongly accused of stealing from their own tills, when computer glitches were to blame.
More than 700 were convicted between 2000 and 2015 – some served prison terms and the scandal was linked to four suicides. Alongside then-chief executive Paula Vennells, Mr Parker – who became chairman in 2015 – had signed off on an aggressive legal strategy to fight their own staff over the issue.
Tim Parker, 66 (pictured) – said to be worth £247million before the pandemic – will quit in the autumn and a search for his successor is now under way
However, the Post Office eventually capitulated and agreed to compensate victims, with the Government forced to put £1billion aside to cover these costs.
Mr Parker said he was ‘sincerely sorry on behalf of the Post Office for historical failings’ following the scandal. The Daily Mail has long campaigned for justice for the wrongly accused postmasters.
Mr Parker’s decision to quit came a year after he was forced to step down as chairman of the National Trust after facing opposition from ministers over the charity’s position on the UK’s legacy of slavery.
He had previously earned the nickname ‘the Prince of Darkness’ for the gusto with which he embarked on job cuts in other corporate roles, often at the behest of private equity owners.
From Monday a judge will begin hearing evidence from some of the 3,000 postmasters who were wrongly accused of stealing from their own tills, when computer glitches were to blame (stock image)
After becoming chief executive of Clarks shoes in 1996, he oversaw restructuring which saw 20 factories closed. Eight years later he became boss of the AA, getting rid of 3,400 staff. He is the personal owner of the British Pathe film archive.
The father of four said he was attracted to the Post Office by its ‘strong social purpose’, but claimed he only needed to work a day and a half per week to turn around the loss-making outfit shortly after he joined.
He negotiated a £75,000 annual pay package but in recent years has donated his fees to charity. He saw them reduced to £19,200 in 2018 as he cut his hours further.
A Post Office spokesman said: ‘Tim Parker’s second term as chairman will conclude in the autumn with the Department of Business, as the shareholder of Post Office, conducting the search for his successor.’
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