Ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells was 'shortlisted to be Bishop of London'
9 January 2024, 20:03 | Updated: 9 January 2024, 22:44
Ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells is said to have been shortlisted to be Bishop of London.
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Ms Vennells, who is an ordained priest but does not hold a senior position in the Church of England, is understood to have been interviewed for the role.
The revelation comes after Ms Vennells said she will hand back her CBE with immediate effect amid the fallout of the Horizon IT scandal, which led to the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of sub-postmasters.
The Archbishop of Canterbury was one of her supporters while running for Bishop of London and had pushed her application, sources said.
Ms Vennells was still head of the Post Office at the time before she stood down in 2019 - the same year she received the CBE for services to the Post Office and to charity.
She was in the final shortlist of three but was not appointed, according to the BBC.
A spokesperson for the Church of England said: "We never make any comment on who is a candidate, or not, in what is a confidential discernment process."
Read more: Ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells returning CBE "obviously the right decision", Downing Street says
Ms Vennells was ordained as a priest in 2006 and later went on to be an associate minister in the diocese of St Albans.
She faced mounting pressure for her CBE to be revoked after ITV aired Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which dramatised the Horizon scandal.
In a written statement on Tuesday, Ms Vennells said: "I continue to support and focus on co-operating with the inquiry and expect to be giving evidence in the coming months.
"I have so far maintained my silence as I considered it inappropriate to comment publicly while the inquiry remains ongoing and before I have provided my oral evidence.
"I am, however, aware of the calls from sub-postmasters and others to return my CBE.
"I have listened and I confirm that I return my CBE with immediate effect.
"I am truly sorry for the devastation caused to the sub-postmasters and their families, whose lives were torn apart by being wrongly accused and wrongly prosecuted as a result of the Horizon system.
"I now intend to continue to focus on assisting the inquiry and will not make any further public comment until it has concluded."
In response to her decision, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: "We think that is obviously the right decision.
"Our focus continues to be on ensuring all those whose lives were torn apart have swifter access to compensation and justice."
