Sir Ed Davey

Yes he should resign and the sooner the better.

Yes for the good of his party he needs to resign.

I too voted Liberal and then Liberal Democrat for many years. and also feel that Ed Davey should resign.

As I have written elsewhere, I think he is toast.

I'll be back, must go out now but yes, I think he should resign.

I've recently moved from Green to Lib Dem thinking they are an ethical party and I am dismayed at this news. Who on earth do we vote for now?

He’s a slippery, awful character hiding behind that silly smile.

Is there something about the past and current leaders of the Liberal Democrats that makes them hate post office workers.

Vince Cable - oversaw the breakup of the Royal Mail into privatised Royal Mail and public owned Post Office, Ed Davey - Postal Minester 2010 t0 2012 and Jo Swinson -Postal Minister from 2012 to 2015. Surely they cannot all have missed the signals. LD members have also been asked to deflect any questions while electioneering .

His position is untenable now. He will damage his party if he remains.

Oh dear! I didn’t know this.
Is it possible to hold a position of power in politics and remain ethical 🤔? I would like to think so but the more we learn, the more I doubt it. Self interest always seems to win.

The last few leaders of the lib dems have been utterly useless.

Totally agree with the above. Ed Davey is toxic now.

I watched the interview on TV where he refused to apologize, and found it extremely cringeworthy. I should imagine most people watching it thought so, too.

So, yes, fancythat, if he wasn't toast before that interview, he certainly should be afterwards.

I have always voted liberal and I am disillusioned and have been considering UK first party however I am not altogether convinced.So were do I go too from here

Julie Burchill is very biting about him:

“Davey is foul; with a face like a Cornish pasty without any filling

“In a crowded field, the hypocrisy of Davey is in a class of its own. Over the past five years, he has called for the resignation of public figures a whopping 34 times – yet shows no sign of resigning or even giving back his honour,

“I’ve seen knights on a chessboard with more emotional depth and moral substance than Davey.”

Nose in the trough, like so many of them. 🙁

The Post Office scandal started soon after the installation of the Horizon system in 1999.

As we saw from the ITV drama, Alan Bates was accused of having a "shortfall" and lost his post office in 2003.

Ed Davey, who was Post Office Minister between 2010 and 2012. was one of 20 ministers responsible for the Post Office from 1999 to date. and he was the first PO minister to meet Alan Bates. despite advice from officials. “Initially I was told not to, but I insisted when I read some of his letters because I could hear his anger. I took his arguments to the Post Office but I was lied to,” he said.

As a result of pressure by Ed Davey and other MPs the forensic accountants "Second Sight" were appointed to investigate in 2012.

It is blatant political expediency on the part of Labour and Tory politicians to try to single out Ed Davey and point the finger at him, rather than any of his predecessors or successors in the role.

In 2019 Theresa May was warned about Paula Vennels' role in prosecuting innocent postmasters and perpetuating lies about the reliability of Horizon, but she still approved her CBE.

Hang on, I understand that there have been 15 Tory ministers responsible for the post office since Ed Davey, with the problem escalating and becoming more visible all the time. Where are the calls for all of them to resign, if still MPs. Why is it thought that ED alone is responsible for the problem? Because there is a general election coming up and the tory press wants to discredit the Lib Dems. Simples as Teresa May would say.

Yes we have seen the script Varian.
There are many people who hold responsibility for what happened, I think the focus on Paula Vennels for example with no mention of the previous CEOs is not at all helpful. The concerns about Davey are also to do with his links to the legal firm hired by the Post Office. Add in his regular calls for others to resign and you have a perfect storm.

Ed Davey doesn't come out of this well, that's for sure, and I was unaware of the HSF connection. However, as others have said, he was just one of the many in charge, and is suits both Labour and the Tories to single him out. I would like to see him resign as leader of the LibDems, if only because he will then be one of the few in this whole sorry business who does the right thing.

Galaxy

Yes we have seen the script Varian.
There are many people who hold responsibility for what happened, I think the focus on Paula Vennels for example with no mention of the previous CEOs is not at all helpful. The concerns about Davey are also to do with his links to the legal firm hired by the Post Office. Add in his regular calls for others to resign and you have a perfect storm.

The concerns about Davey are also to do with his links to the legal firm hired by the Post Office

This 👍
Duplicity.

If only he would apologise- but he refuses to do so.
They should all be apologising with sincerity and making amends.

Ed Davey failed to attend Parliament when this matter was debated last week.
He was the Minister responsible for the Post Office at time when dozens of sub posters and postmistresses were writing, telling him of their plight. He failed to investigate the details of the Horizon scandal, despite these letters from victims.

He then took a job with his brother's firm which was employed by the Post Office to fight the litigation brought by the victims to court.

He has also called on others to resign several times - perhaps he should take his own advice.

That is why, varian and others who defend him.

He is tainted now, which wont help the LibDems at election time. Is there another person who could take over the leadership? I don't know much about how they choose their leaders, is there time to establish a "clean skin" before the next election?
I agree he is being unfairly singled out, but that ship has sailed now,

prestbury

Is there something about the past and current leaders of the Liberal Democrats that makes them hate post office workers.

Vince Cable - oversaw the breakup of the Royal Mail into privatised Royal Mail and public owned Post Office, Ed Davey - Postal Minester 2010 t0 2012 and Jo Swinson -Postal Minister from 2012 to 2015. Surely they cannot all have missed the signals. LD members have also been asked to deflect any questions while electioneering .

Has it occurred to you that these people were handed a known to be poisoned chalice in a coalition government? I’m not a Lib Dem supporter, but my first thought was that they were shafted.