The evidence raises serious questions about what former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells knew about Horizon and how she described it. But the material available here does not establish as a settled finding that she knowingly lied. A statement being wrong is not, by itself, proof that its speaker knew it was wrong or intended to mislead.
What Vennells said under inquiry questioning
Her answer about an earlier Post Office response
Vennells gave evidence to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry on 24 May 2024. While being questioned about an earlier Post Office response to a television programme, she said: “I don’t think I say anything there that we didn’t say in our statement to the programme.”
That was Vennells’s answer about whether her response matched the Post Office’s statement at the time. It does not, on its own, establish whether the statement was accurate, what she personally knew when it was made, or whether she intended to mislead anyone.
What an incorrect statement does—and does not—show
In an earlier inquiry transcript, Vennells described statements as incorrect because people had answered based on what they understood at the time. This acknowledges that statements were wrong, but leaves a separate question: what did Vennells know, or have reason to know, when each statement was made?
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
To call a particular statement a lie is to claim more than inaccuracy. It means asserting that the speaker knew it was false or intended to mislead. Establishing that requires evidence about the specific words, when and to whom they were said, and the information available to the speaker then.
What Alice Perkins said about Vennells’s knowledge
On 19 July 2024, former Post Office chair Alice Perkins was asked what she thought Vennells knew. Perkins said that, on the basis of evidence emerging in the inquiry, she thought Vennells knew there were faults in Horizon.
That is Perkins’s opinion as a witness. It is relevant to the question of Vennells’s knowledge, but it is not itself a formal finding by the inquiry chair or proof that Vennells knowingly made a false statement.
What the inquiry has formally reported so far
As of 4 October 2026, the inquiry website reports that Volume 1 of its final report has been published. That volume focuses on human impact and redress. The remaining volumes are still being prepared; the inquiry says their size and complexity have affected the timetable.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
So far, that publication status does not amount to a final resolution of every question about individual knowledge or intent. Witness evidence, including a witness’s view about what someone knew, should not be presented as a formal finding unless the inquiry has made that finding.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to judge a claim that she lied
Assess any specific allegation against the contemporaneous record, rather than treating every inaccurate statement as proof of deliberate deception. The relevant checks are:
Rank #4
- The exact words and date: Identify the statement being challenged and when it was made.
- The audience and context: Establish who received it and what question or issue it addressed.
- What was known at the time: Examine which documents, warnings or other information were available to Vennells by that date.
- What she later said: Compare her inquiry evidence with the earlier statement, without treating her explanation as independently verified merely because she gave it under questioning.
- Corroboration and findings: Weigh other witness testimony and records, and distinguish evidence or opinion from a formal inquiry conclusion.
Without that statement-by-statement comparison, a broad yes-or-no verdict would claim more than the cited evidence establishes.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
