for fraud because of it faults in fujitsu's horizon software.owed an apology from the head of fujitsu in europe as he answered mps' questions in a select committee session on tuesday. well, the bbc�*s correspondent has been following this story and joins me now from our news room. great to have you on the programme. why has this apology taken so long?— taken so long? well, we'll never know _ taken so long? well, we'll never know for _ taken so long? well, we'll never know for sure, - taken so long? well, we'll never know for sure, but l taken so long? well, we'll- never know for sure, but there are several factors that could have contributed to this delay. firstly, because this scandal unfolded decades ago, none of those executives that we're hearing from today, they weren't in charge of fujitsu at the time. but also from the japanese headquarters' point of view, the horizon software, the faulty accounting software, it was actually developed by icl. the british company that fujitsu bought back in the 19905 and it appears that many injapan weren'

prosecuted for fraud because of it faults in fujitsu's horizon software.owed an apology from the head of fujitsu in europe as he answered mps' questions in a select committee session on tuesday. well, the bbc�*s correspondent has been following this story and joins me now from our news room. mariko, good to see you. has this impacted brand fujitsu at all? it is definitely fair to say that its reputation has suffered significantly in the uk but in its home market of japan hardly anyone has heard of the post office scandal until recently because local media has hardly covered it until the british government started talking about those compensation and so on because of that tv drama by itv. so in a way its reputation has not been affected but at the same time its software injapan is not without controversy. when some of the members of the japanese public started finding out about the horizon scandal they started comparing how fujitsu's software which resulted in an all—day suspension of the tokyo stock exchange and how fujitsu software does not work anywhere.

you say, from the outset of horizon, fujitsu _ you say, from the outset of horizon, fujitsu has— youiggest prosecutions had stopped by then. this contractual obligation flowed from requirement 699 contained at paragraph 1.102 of schedule _ 699 contained at paragraph 1.102 of schedule a15, to the 1999 codified agreement. in particular, requirement 69—9 notes at: 1.1026 the content _ requirement 69—9 notes at: 1.1026 the content of the audit

wrongly prosecuted for fraud, because of it faults in fujitsu's horizon software.s in switzerland, mr tokita said the company was sorry for the impact it has had on the postmasters and theirfamilies, and insisted the company took the issue "very seriously". he spoke to a bbc producer between events at the swiss ski resort. would you like to apologise? yes, of course. fujitsu has apologised... has apologised for the impact on the lives of the people involved, and their families. what do you think about fujitsu returning the money? - the government has suggested you return the money. - please understand, there is the ongoing public inquiry. i'm sorry, i cannot comment furthermore about these topics. there was also an apology from the head of fujitsu in europe for the company's role in the post office scandal. answering mps' questions in a select committee session, paul patterson said the company had fallen below its own standards of conduct and had a "moral obligation" to contribute to compensation for the victims. fujitsu would like to apologise for our part in this

were wrongly prosecuted for fraud because of it faults in fujitsu's horizon software. forum at davos in switzerland, mr tokita said the company was sorry for the impact it's had on the postmasters and their families and insisted the company took theissue and insisted the company took the issue very seriously. he spoke to our bbc producer at the swiss ski resort.- spoke to our bbc producer at the swiss ski resort. would you like to apologise. _ the swiss ski resort. would you like to apologise. yes, - the swiss ski resort. would you like to apologise. yes, yes, - the swiss ski resort. would you like to apologise. yes, yes, ofl like to apologise. yes, yes, of course, like to apologise. yes, yes, of course. of— like to apologise. yes, yes, of course, of course. _ like to apologise. yes, yes, of course, of course. fujitsu - like to apologise. yes, yes, of course, of course. fujitsu has| course, of course. fujitsu has apologised. the impacts on the postmasters' lives and their families _ postmasters' lives and their families. ~ ., ., families. what do you think about fujits

holding meetings about their concerns about the fujitsu software system, horizon.itness statements they were providing. yesterday, we heard about the case of lee castleton who was wrongly accused of stealing £25,000. the reason why he was not believed in court was because a fujitsu employee gave evidence against him and as a result, lee castleton was bankrupt or dead. i caught up with him yesterday and asked for his response that one fujitsu employee called him a nasty chap out to rubbish the fujitsu name. lee castleton said he was surprised by this because he had never met any fujitsu employees and he said of the fujitsu manager who sent that e—mail, i hope he has as many sleepless nights as i have. i think it's about paul patterson is going to be saying today is what did fujitsu know about the problems with horizon, when did they know it, what were they telling the post office about it and perhaps also about behaviour of fujitsu employees. thank you very much indeed. i'm joined now by tom witherow — news and special projects reporter at the times. thank you very

wrongly prosecuted for fraud, because of it faults in fujitsu's horizon software.in switzerland, mr tokita said the company was sorry for the impact it has had on the postmasters and theirfamilies, and insisted the company took the issue "very seriously". he spoke to a bbc producer between events at the swiss ski resort. would you like to apologise? yes, of course. fujitsu has apologised... has apologised for the impact on the lives of the people involved, and their families. what do you think about fujitsu returning the money? - the government has suggested you return the money. - please understand, there is the ongoing public inquiry. i'm sorry, i cannot comment furthermore about these topics. there was also an apology from the head of fujitsu in europe for the company's role in the post office scandal. answering mps�* questions in a select committee session, paul patterson said the company had fallen below its own standards of conduct and had a "moral obligation" to contribute to compensation for the victims. fujitsu would like to apologise for our part in this

in 1999, the post office launches fujitsu's horizon it system in 20,000 post offices.master had cash shortfalls and over the next decade 983 branch managers are prosecuted, with many sent to prison or losing their homes, or in some cases taking their own lives. in 2013, second site independent review confirmed what 5ub postmaster had said for years, that bugs in horizon can generate fictional cash shortfalls that never actually happened. throughout 2014 the post office keeps claiming in public that there were no systemic errors and the project sparrow committee of top bosses and the government had already agreed a plan to take second site of the case in private. second site off the case in private. they were sacked the following march. but the unredacted report proved that the government knew all about it. the minutes show the post office chair, the chief executive and a government representative discu55 second site independent role in investigating 5ub postmaster�*s complaints in a mediation committee. i took those unredacted minutes to show senior ministers. a former

fujitsu witnesses claim horizon�*s information was "reliable" and "robust."e take their own lives. we got hold of an audit report in 2011 from consultants ey, warning some it staff have "unrestricted access" to postmasters�* horizon accounts which "may lead to the processing of unauthorised or erroneous transactions" ? something the post office continues to deny for years. in 2013, the board discusses a review by the consultants second sight which finds two bugs in horizon. injuly 2013, a concerned barrister for the post office, simon clarke, writes formal advice saying... "there are a number of now convicted defendants to whom the existence of bugs should have been disclosed but was not." we've got hold of minutes showing "the board were concerned that the review opened the business up to claims of wrongful prosecution". but the post office didn't halt prosecutions until two years later. and it wasn't until seven years later, after the post office had spent millions of pounds public money trying to crush the postmasters�* claims, that the advice given to the

in 1999, the post office launches fujitsu's horizon it system in 20,000 post offices. next decade 983 branch managers are prosecuted, with many sent to prison or losing their homes, or in some cases taking their homes, or in some cases taking their own lives. in 2013, second site independent review confirmed what sub postmaster had said for years, that bugs in horizon can generate fictional cash shortfalls that never actually happened. throughout 2014 the post office keeps claiming in public that there were no systemic errors and the project sparrow committee of top bosses and the government had already agreed a plan to take second site of the case in private. they were sacked the following march. but the unredacted report proved that the unredacted report proved that the government knew all about it. the minutes show the post office chair, the chief executive and a government representative discuss second site independent role in investigating sub postmaster is burma complaints in a mediation committee. i took those unredacted minutes to show senior ministers. a forme

that the horizon required fujitsu pass over— yes? yes.15. i think - the? when the prosecutions were under way in 2015. i think it - the? when the prosecutions were under way in 2015. i think it did. l under way in 2015. i think it did. paula vennells _ under way in 2015. i think it did. paula vennells said _ under way in 2015. i think it did. paula vennells said that - under way in 2015. i think it did. paula vennells said that was - under way in 2015. i think it did. paula vennells said that was a l paula vennells said that was a fujitsu boss who said that horizon was like a photo knocks. do you know who are new fujitsu made that comment? t who are new fu'itsu made that comment?— who are new fu'itsu made that comment?h you | who are new fu'itsu made that - comment?h you have comment? i don't know. you have -rovided comment? i don't know. you have provided no _ comment? i don't know. you have provided no legal— comment? i don't know. you have provided no legal assistance - comment? i don't know. you have provided no legal assistance to -

under much scrutiny right now, the fujitsu horizon software that led to this false accounting.masters and sub—postmistress is based on this faulty horizon it system. many have been fighting back for many years. some have had their convictions overturned but it was really the fact that itv broadcast a drama around all of this earlier on this month that has thrust the scandal back into the spotlight. to keep across the bbc news life page for any more developments on this story. we will be covering the inquiry again tomorrow when it resumes. you're watching bbc news. china has issued a statement to tie wine before the election saying a wine before the election saying a win for the frontrunner would pose danger to taiwan. china sees taiwan as a breakaway province. china's affairs officer said it hoped the people of taiwan would see what was the extreme harm... in its attempt to influence the election. our correspondent has been speaking to people in the province closest to taiwan to find out more about china's relationship with the self—governing island. bracing themselves against

outset of horizon, you say, from the outset of horizon, fujitsu _ you say, from the outset of horizon, fujitsu has_ you say, from the outset of horizon, fujitsu has been acquired by contract _ fujitsu has been acquired by contract to maintain an audit trail of all_ contract to maintain an audit trail of all transactions and events. see for example paragraph 3.1 of schedule a03 to the codified agreement of the 20th ofjuly 1999, agreement of the 20th ofjuly1999, and paragraph 3.1 of schedule d five to version_ and paragraph 3.1 of schedule d five to version 13 of the codified agreement of 23rd of november 2020. i'm not_ agreement of 23rd of november 2020. i'm not going to ask you any questions _ i'm not going to ask you any questions about the agreement of 2020 _ questions about the agreement of 2020 biggest prosecutions had stopped by then. this contractual obligation flowed from requirement 699 contained at paragraph 1.102 of schedule _ 699 contained at paragraph 1.102 of schedule a15, to the 1999 codified agreement. in particular, requirement 69—9 notes at: 1.1026 the content _ requi

horizon system.sub—postmasters. rather than listen to them and try to get the issue is resolved, they basically took the attitude of trying to prosecute these people. basically, they fear for their livelihoods, some actually committed suicide as a result of the post office policy. why was this the case? t post office policy. why was this the case? . . . , post office policy. why was this the case? ., ,,. . case? i can answer specifically what was happening _ case? i can answer specifically what was happening pre-2015, _ case? i can answer specifically what was happening pre-2015, i- case? i can answer specifically what was happening pre-2015, i simply i case? i can answer specifically what i was happening pre-2015, i simply was was happening pre—2015, i simply was not in _ was happening pre—2015, i simply was not in the _ was happening pre—2015, i simply was not in the business _ was happening pre—2015, i simply was not in the business at _ was happening pre—2015, i simply was not in the business at

it would be very difficult because fujitsu - platforms like horizon?e fujitsu in - very difficult because fujitsu in the uk came out of a uk company which in the 90s fujitsu acquired and the government wanted them to acquire them because it was not doing too well. icl had a lot of contracts in government which fujitsu has until this day, and winding down contracts over many years, start gaining experience, system being updated, it would be very time—consuming and it would cost a of money. very time-consuming and it would cost a of money.— cost a of money. very interesting. we will hehr _ cost a of money. very interesting. we will hear more _ cost a of money. very interesting. we will hear more about - cost a of money. very interesting. we will hear more about that - we will hear more about that particular aspect of the story in the weeks and months ahead. thanks forjoining us. to the red sea now, breaking news this hour is that the us has carried out more air strikes against the militants responsible for targeting cargo vessels in the region. prior to

and he said fujitsu was aware there were bugs, errors and defects in the horizon it system from earlyoffice denied at the time. a moment that is likely to have angered some of those wrongly convicted was when mr patterson was asked why fujitsu didn't do anything about glitches in the horizon system when the company knew about them. he said, "i don't know. i really don't know." he said, "on a personal level, i wish i did know. following my appointment in 2019, i have looked back on those situations for the company and the evidence i have seen and ijust don't know." those words won't be very pleasing to those who've spent years fighting forjustice. back with us is balvinder gill — a postmaster wrongly suspended and left bankrupt trying to repay £108,000 back to the post office. he was sectioned three times in the years that followed. and you told us last week about your traumatic experience. balvinder, thank you for being back with us today. we're going to play you some clips of the evidence today, starting with fujitsu europe's boss paul patterson saying sorry. for gypsy would like to

we then have the clerk advice in 2013 warning that a former fujitsu horizon architect had given evidencete access. mr reid, from your point of view, when do you think that post office staff first knew that post office staff first knew that remote access to horizon terminals was possible? i couldn't dive ou terminals was possible? i couldn't give you an _ terminals was possible? i couldn't give you an exact _ terminals was possible? i couldn't give you an exact date _ terminals was possible? i couldn't give you an exact date on - terminals was possible? i couldn't give you an exact date on lap. - terminals was possible? i couldn't| give you an exact date on lap. why can ou give you an exact date on lap. why can you not — give you an exact date on lap. why can you not answer _ give you an exact date on lap. deny can you not answer that give you an exact date on lap. “15mg" can you not answer that question? give you an exact date on lap. r“1di;: can you not answer that question? it is fundamental to this case? what can you not answer that question? it is fundamental to this case?- is fundam

well, horizon is still installed, the post office has just paid fujitsu £36 million to extend that contract, these systems are incredibly complicated — take years to design and build and can't be easily replaced. if you switched off horizon, you would bring the post office network to a standstill. so far, fujitsu has not paid anything in compensation and in their most recent accounts barely mention horizon as a risk to their business, and have set no money aside. despite this nearly 30 year fiasco, in the last ten years, the government has awarded fujitsu 191 contracts worth more than £6.5 billion — including projects for hmrc, the ministry of defence and the home office. in 2022, the government removed fujitsu from its list of preferred suppliers, but the firm is still able to win government contracts through the normal procurement process. fujitsu executives are due before the inquiry early next week. simonjack, simon jack, thank you. dominic casciani, the big question — how is this new law, if passed, going to work? we haven't seen detail yet, but i think the real headline in some respec

that software, named horizon, was developed by the japanese technology giant fujitsu. issue happening here in the uk and to what extent? here's mariko oi. i started chasing fujitsu �*s japanese headquarters in 2022, when the public enquiry focused on fujitsu and i asked its global president to speak to me. he declined my request multiple

as discussed previously, we knew that horizon call logs come from fujitsu.sly, we knew that horizon call logs come from fujitsu. call logs come from fu'itsu. can we lease call logs come from fu'itsu. can we please leek — call logs come from fu'itsu. can we please leele at h call logs come from fu'itsu. can we please look at the _ call logs come from fujitsu. can we please look at the next _ call logs come from fujitsu. can we please look at the next poll? - call logs come from fujitsu. can we please look at the next poll? this l please look at the next poll? this is an e—mail from yourself to andrew bolts dated 12th of december 2012. it's an e—mail from andrew bolts to you. this is to garethjenkins. it from andrew bolts to you. this is to gareth jenkins. it says, from andrew bolts to you. this is to garethjenkins. it says, i havejust spoken to the solicitor for grant allen, it says, i include an extract from the interview in which he is trying to suggest it's an initial loss of £3000 and is attributable to lost data because of installation problems. are you

the post office said it had relied on assurances from fujitsu that the horizon system was "like fort the blame for mistakes could only rest with subpostmasters. a judge later found that was untrue. so, next question — did fujitsu employees help cover up faults with the system? in 2019, the court of appeal found there were defects in the fujitsu system. the post office subsequently agreed to pay compensation to over 500 subpostmasters and mistresses. the question for fujitsu — the company built a system that failed. will it be paying compensation? the horizon system is still place — the post office paid an additional £100 million to extend the contract till the end of next year. fujitsu has continued to win other government contracts with hmrc, the mod, the home office and others, worth billions of pounds. this begs the question — should fujitsu be trusted with delivering key services? well, the european boss of fujitsu faces mps at 11:30am tomorrow morning. reeta. the race for the white house officially gets under way tonight, with republican supporters in iowa meeting to give their

well, horizon is still installed, the post office has just paid fujitsu £36 million to extend that contractare incredibly complicated, take years to design and build and can't be easily replaced. if you switched off horizon, you would bring the post office network to a standstill. the post office and fujitsu are locked in an embrace that is hard to break. so far fujitsu has not paid anything in compensation, and in their most recent accounts barely mention horizon as a risk to their business and have set no money aside. despite this nearly 30 year fiasco, in the last ten years the government has awarded fujitsu 191 contracts, worth more than £6.5 billion, including projects for hmrc, the ministry of defence and the home office. in 2022, the government removed fujitsu from its list of preferred suppliers, but the firm is still able to win government contracts through the normal procurement process. fujitsu executives are due before the inquiry early next week. simon for thank you. the impact on patients of the latest round ofjunior doctors' strikes in england has become clearer. junior docto

that is when the high court ruled prosecutions were wrongly brought based on fujitsu's faulty horizongovernment contracts until the public inquiry into the scandal is complete. fujitsu has apologised for its role. tata steel has defended its decision to cut thousands ofjobs at its port talbot site in south wales, saying changes are necessary to make production much greener. two blast furnaces will be replaced with an electric alternative. unions say industrial action is likely. plaid cymru says the uk government should consider nationalising the port talbot steelworks, to allow for a phased transition to greener steel production. the changes will see the loss of 2,800 jobs. japan's moon landing has run into difficulty after the spacecraft successfully touched down on the lunar surface. its solar panels aren't working, meaning it will soon run out of power. japan is just the fifth country to successfully land on the moon. 0ur science correspondent, pallab ghosh, has the story. japan's lunar lander has touched down with a soft landing, but there has been a glitch. its solar panels aren'

wrongly prosecuted for fraud, because of it faults in fujitsu�*s horizon software.ts would you like to apologise? yes. — yes, of course. fujitsu has apologised. regarding the impact on their lives and that of their families. - what do you think about fujitsu giving the money back? the government suggested that you should return the money. yeah, we understand - the ongoing public inquiry. and so, i'm sorry, i cannot comment ifor you further about these topics. i there�*s also been an apology from the head of fujitsu in europe for the company�*s role in the post office scandal. paul patterson has told mps that the company had fallen below its own standards of conduct and had a "moral obligation" to contribute to compensation for the victims. our business correspondent emma simpson reports. good morning, jo. jo hamilton, convicted by the post office, but later cleared on her way into parliament. huge interest, because the company behind the faulty software is finally talking. paul patterson from fujitsu, which has stayed largely silent until now. fujitsu would like to

giant behind the horizon software.e admitted that fujitsu was aware of the errors for nearly two decades and said details about the vast majority of them had been shared with the post office at the time. this is what we hee hee had to say at the conference earlier today. to at the conference earlier today. tfr the sub—postmasters and their families. fujitsu apologises and is sorry for our part in this appalling miscarriage ofjustice. this inquiry is examining those events frantically over many, many decades which involve many parties, not least after one and the post office with other organisations and individuals. we are determined to continue to support this inquiry and get to the truth wherever it lays. and at the conclusion of the inquiry at the guidance from this inquiry, engage with government on suitable contribution and for trash to the sub—postmasters in their families. for more on this we go live now to our correspondent zoe conway who's outside the inquiry in central london. let's ta ke let's take this in st

when we spoke to fujitsu's japan former president in 2022 his reaction was horizon? what horizon?se it was developed by a british company international computers limited which fujitsu bought decades ago. icl had strong ties to the british government so it did give fujitsu an outsize presence in the uk and japanese companies often let international subsidiaries do their own thing especially the board lacks international experience. as i said to its japanese headquarters pr department, for victims of the post office scandal they would want to hear from a japanese executive and the silent treatment which sometimes works in japan it treatment which sometimes works injapan it is highly unlikely it will work in the uk. some are saying fujitsu may decide to offer compensation because its reputation has been damaged significantly in the uk and the story is finally getting some coverage byjapanese story is finally getting some coverage by japanese media. mariko oi there. she is based on ourjapanese business hub who has been chasing fujitsu. the british post office scandal has been dominati

this was how fujitsu employees in their office in bracknell in berkshire were able to access the horizon as 2002. yet, for years the post office denied that that access was possible so again, what were fujitsu telling the post office about that issue? we are going to get a lot more detailed questions. i think they could also be a question about the behaviour of fujitsu employees. because we heard some evidence yesterday about one of the cases involving the sub—postmasters league castleton. he was wrongly accused of stealing £25,000

horizon, fujitsu admitted to directly accessing terminals, but they have the potential to access theyt as a result of this i tv drama, how early did you alert them to the findings that second site had discovered? in them to the findings that second site had discovered?— them to the findings that second site had discovered? in 2013, we continued to _ site had discovered? in 2013, we continued to do _ site had discovered? in 2013, we continued to do some _ site had discovered? in 2013, we continued to do some limited i site had discovered? in 2013, we l continued to do some limited work until 2015. we issued a number of reports. it was absolutely clear to us that the integrity of horizon was potentially in doubt because of the operation of fujitsu. ian potentially in doubt because of the operation of fujitsu. operation of fu'itsu. ian henderson, thank ou operation of fu'itsu. ian henderson, thank you so — operation of fujitsu. ian henderson, thank you so much _ operation of fujitsu. ian henderson, thank you so much for— operation of fujitsu. ian henderson, thank you so much for coming i

that software, named horizon, was developed by the japanese technology giant fujitsu.pany will be questioned by mps today. so, was the japanese hq aware of the issue happening here in the uk and to what extent? mariko oi reports. i started chasing fujitsu's japanese headquarters back in 2022. that was when the public inquiry focused on fujitsu. and i asked its global president, takahito tokita, to speak to me. he declined my request multiple times, in fact, even when i asked forjust a written comment to the victims whose lives were turned upside down. now, that didn't exactly surprise me, because going silent when faced with bad news is quite a typical strategy forjapanese companies. they did send me a statement last week saying... so basically the company has remained tight—lipped about it. but the other issue to remember is while it may be difficult to believe, hardly anyone injapan has heard of the horizon scandal until very recently. when we spoke to fujitsu japan's former president in 2022, his reaction was, "horizon? "what's horizon?" and that is because it was d

emma, fujitsu were the company behind horizon — what next for them?by fujitsu and it still is today. it was rolled out in 1999 but the problems came right from the start, and i think part of the reason why it has escaped a lot of scrutiny is of course the behaviour of the post office, but that hasn't stopped fujitsu getting a host of other big lucrative government contract. fujitsu says it is fully committed to supporting the public inquiry to understand what has happened and to learn lessons. but it is interesting tonight what kevin hollinrake the government minister said, that it shouldn't be the taxpayer alone who picks up the tab, clearly hinting they are going to be trying to claw back some of the many millions paid out if fujitsu is found to be at fault. whilst there is a huge focus on paula vennells there are still a lot of questions on lots of other people, those government ministers, the post office board, was the oversight as good as it should have been? of course also the post office investigators. there are so many different strands of thi

mps cross examined a current boss of fujitsu, the company behind the failed horizon it system — he apologised part in the scandal, and said that the company had a "moral obligation" to contribute to compensation for the victims. here's our business correspondent, marc ashdown. no one ever says sorry, not in the way i would like to see sorry. former postmistress jo way i would like to see sorry. former postmistressjo hamilton centre stage today, giving evidence to mps about how she was wrongly convicted for stealing is £36,000 from her post office, her life ruined. it from her post office, her life ruined. , ., ~ , ,, from her post office, her life ruined. , .,~ , ., , ruined. it “ust makes you so angry that ruined. it 'ust makes you so angry that the ruined. itjust makes you so angry that they literally _ ruined. itjust makes you so angry that they literally gaz _ ruined. itjust makes you so angry that they literally gaz let - ruined. itjust makes you so angry that they literally gaz let me - ruined. itjust makes you so angry that they literally gaz let me for i that they literally gaz let me

and there are questions about fujitsu, which made the faulty horizon accounting software.ny bosses have been summoned to appear before a committee of mps next week. should it be blocked from getting new government contracts? action on that appears unlikely, though, before the public inquiry into the scandal, which started three years ago, concludes. it's due to resume hearing evidence tomorrow and will surely have a far bigger audience than before. peter saull, bbc news. let's speak now to our chief political correspondent henry zeffman. this is likely to dominate events in westminster today. henry is there live. we know that paula vennells is handing back her cbe but talking to victims here on the sofa this week they are adamant that this is not just about her, they say that accountability has to go much wider, much further than her. i accountability has to go much wider, much further than her.— much further than her. i think that is riaht, much further than her. i think that is right. jon. _ much further than her. i think that is right. jon. and _ much further than her.

meanwhile, fujitsu, the parent company of horizon, has been called to answer mps questions next week over its role in the scandal. the prime minister says fujitsu will be held accountable legally or financially if it's found to have made mistakes, and the business minister, kevin hollinrake, said today plans to speed up compensating victims will be announced very shortly . will be announced very shortly. more than 110 flood warnings remain in place tonight, just as the uk prepares for an arctic blast to strike the country throughout next week. the met office says there's another cold night on the way tonight as well, with temperatures dropping widely to close to or below freezing. the health security agency has issued an amber cold health alert, triggering health responses for vulnerable people in parts of southern england . it in parts of southern england. it follows storm henk, which left large areas of ground flooded last week with livestock trapped and thousands of properties damaged . the former us president damaged. the former us president , donald trump, said today he shouldn'

giant behind the flawed horizon software.he start of the hearing to again apologise to the victims of the scandal. to the sub—postmasters and their families, we apologise. fujitsu apologises and is sorry for our part in this appalling miscarriage of justice. this inquiry is examining those events forensically over many, many decades, which involved many parties, not least fujitsu and the post office, but other organisations and individuals. we are determined to continue to support this inquiry and get to the truth wherever it lays and at the conclusion of the inquiry and the guidance from this inquiry engage with government on suitable contribution and redress to the sub—postmasters and their families. for more on this we go live now to our correspondent zoe conway, who is outside the inquiry in central london. what put the main themes that emerged during this morning session? what paul patterson was being asked about was the role of fujitsu in the prosecutions of sub—postmaster is because over many years for gypsy employees

today in the inquiry, the europe boss of fujitsu admitted horizon had known about the glitches in horizonzon in 1999. what do you make of that? the kids of i glitches in horizon in 1999. what do you make of that? the kids of left l you make of that? the kids of left school _ you make of that? the kids of left school it— you make of that? the kids of left school it is— you make of that? the kids of left school. it is that long we have known — school. it is that long we have known about this. i was involved in the litigation as well. through the inquiry, _ the litigation as well. through the inquiry, there is no way people have not known — inquiry, there is no way people have not known it— inquiry, there is no way people have not known. it has taken one person to break— not known. it has taken one person to break the — not known. it has taken one person to break the silence. hopefully, it will make — to break the silence. hopefully, it will make other people speak, but they will— will make other people speak, but they will be worried about if they will be _ they will be worried about if the

giant behind the horizon software. vast majority of them had been shared with the post office at the time. our business correspondent theo leggett has the latest. it has been described as one of the biggest miscarriages ofjustice in uk history. hundreds of sub—postmasters were prosecuted after a flawed computer accounting system called horizon made it look as though money had gone missing from their branches. the system was made by it firm fujitsu. earlier this week, its european boss appeared before mps. today, he faced questions from the official inquiry, and he started with another apology. to the sub—postmasters and their families, we apologise. fujitsu apologises and is sorry for our part in this appalling miscarriage ofjustice. today, mr patterson explained how the company had been aware of bugs and errors in the horizon system for more than two decades. there's lots of evidence of us informing the post office of that data we have just discussed, bugs and errors, and how those bugs and errors did or did not impac

horizon is still installed in the post office is paid fujitsu another £36 million to extend the contractause the post office as the systems are incredibly complicated and take years to design and build and cannot be easily replaced. to be switched off horizon, you would bring the post office network to a standstill. fujitsu so far has not paid anything in compensation and in their most recent accounts barely mention horizon is a risk to their business and have set no money aside. despite this nearly 30 year fiasco, in the last ten years the government has awarded fujitsu 191 contracts worth more than 65 £5 billion, including projects for the ministry of defence and home office. and 2022, the government removed fujitsu from its preferred list of supplies but it can still win government contracts for the procurement process. fujitsu executives are due before the enquiry next week. let's return to the us now, because in the next few hours we get consumer price inflation figures for december. they will be a key piece of evidence for the federal reserve, as it decides whether it has done enou

and the inquiry continues next week, when employees of fujitsu, the company which built the horizon systemed all this trouble, are due to appear. ben king, bbc news. with so much of our time now spent online, it can feel like we are filling in endless passwords, inevitably forgetting them and having to think up new ones as a result — but could that soon be a thing of the past? major tech and internet firms have started turning to passkeys — a no—password solution which uses biometrics or device pins to protect our accounts online. our cyber correspondent joe tidy can tell us more. pass key. you may not yet have heard of them, but passkeys are the future of how we stay safe online. dozens of internet businesses, large and small, are hoping this new bit of tech will finally kill off the password. so what are passkeys and why are they a step up from what we've been doing all these years? well, if you think about an online service as a door, you get in by putting in your password or a passcode. but this is obviously insecure as all a fraudster needs is the code or password and they're in. a pa

so the horizon system is the fujitsu horizon system is still in place as are other fujitsu systems ,s length bodies. so it'll be fascinating to see if anything is done about that in the weeks and months ahead as well. >> yes, and it will be interesting to see if there are any, uh, criminal prosecutions , any, uh, criminal prosecutions, uh, from all of this. thanks olivia. >> yeah, thank you very much , >> yeah, thank you very much, olivia, for bringing us the very latest on that select committee hearing. really interesting stuff. we'll stuff. but very shortly we'll be heading to house heading over to the house of commons proper. the debating chamber, commence their chamber, as mps commence their debate rwanda bill. debate on the rwanda bill. before that, though, your latest headunes before that, though, your latest headlines with sophia . headlines with sophia. >> thanks, tom. it's 133. headlines with sophia. >> thanks, tom. it's133. i'm sophia wenzler in the gb newsroom , a group of tory mps newsroom, a group of tory mps from the conservative right are holding talks this evening ahe

we are hearing as we have heard from fujitsu today, which designed the horizon computer system, and we of the problem? is that really the centre of the troblem? , is that really the centre of the problem?— is that really the centre of the troblem? , ., ,, ., ., problem? this whole issue of what we call back door — problem? this whole issue of what we call back door access, _ problem? this whole issue of what we call back door access, remote - problem? this whole issue of what we call back door access, remote access i call back door access, remote access as they called it, has been a running question throughout the whole issue of the scandal. it was suggested quite early on that fujitsu, all the post office through fujitsu, all the post office through fujitsu, had the ability to remotely access all the computer systems that were within the sub postmasters branches and make changes on that system. now the post office consistently denied that this was even possible, let alone that they were doing it until a fujitsu whistle—blower, called richard rolle, came forward and about 2015, i think

that was the date when the high court ruled that the horizon post office system which was installed across departments to find out what contracts have been awarded since then. they want to know details of it, notjust the value of those but, for example, how they were awarded, with done through open competition? the chair of the committee harriett baldwin, a conservative mp, said this is about surfacing information, it is not about punishing fujitsu. how widespread is the company's involvement in government departments? it is understood to be pretty widespread. one estimate has been there has been £4 billion worth of work awarded to fujitsu in the last five years and one of the obvious examples that springs to is police national computer, fujitsu has run that for 30 years and was awarded a new contract in 2022 £48 million and at the time parliamentarians were told there was no alternative to fujitsu. we know it is a big firm and it has lots of involvement right across government. what the committee here has written to all the departments concerned with finances, people like the taxman, hmrc

that was the date when the high court ruled that the horizon post office system which was installed acrossountry was defective. the committee has written to a number of different departments to find out what contracts have been awarded since then. they want to know details of it, notjust the value of those but, for example, how they were awarded, with done through open competition? the chair of the committee harriett baldwin, a conservative mp, said this is about surfacing information, it is not about punishing fujitsu. how widespread is the company's involvement in government departments? it is understood to be pretty widespread. one estimate has been there has been £4 billion worth of work awarded to fujitsu in the last five years and one of the obvious examples that springs to is police national computer, fujitsu has run that for 30 years and was awarded a new contract in 2022 £48 million and at the time parliamentarians were told there was no alternative to fujitsu. we know it is a big firm and it has lots of involvement right across government. what the committee here has written to a

fujitsu designed the faulty horizon system, which mistakenly showed money missing from branches.at the uk's biggest steelworks, tata steel, are expecting to hear aboutjob losses according to a senior union official. a meeting is under way at the moment between tata and union representatives about the future of its site in port talbot, which employs 4,000 people. our wales correspondent hywel griffith is there. jane, that meeting is key, it could potentially decide the fate of this site, the fate of this community. and at the heart of it, these two big blast furnaces you might be able to see behind me, they are powered tjy to see behind me, they are powered by coal, that is the conventional way of making steel, and they emit amounts of carbon dioxide, this plant is actually one of the biggest single emitters of greenhouse gases in the uk, responsible for 2% of carbon emissions in the uk. for a long time the steel industry has known it needs to become cleaner and greener. late last year tata pushed forward a plan potentially to replace these with electric arc furnaces, using renewa

giant behind the horizon software.— and said details about the vast majority of them had been shared with the post office at the time. let's get the latest from a business concert correspondent. it has been described as one of the biggest miscarriages ofjustice in uk history. hundreds of sub—postmasters were prosecuted after a flawed computer accounting system called horizon made it look as though money had gone missing from their branches. the system was made by it firm fujitsu. earlier this week, its european boss appeared before mps. today, he faced questions from the official inquiry, and he started with another apology. to the sub—postmasters and their families, we apologise. fujitsu apologises and is sorry for our part in this appalling miscarriage ofjustice. today, mr patterson explained how the company has been aware of bugs and errors in the horizon system for more than two decades. there's lots of evidence of us informing the post office of that data we have just discussed, bugs and errors, and how those bugs

fujitsu is the japanese contractorjust beenj the japanese contractorjust been working on the horizonside of the military in europe. since the postmasters one their case against the government in 2019, it is carried on business and 101 contracts over 2 billion and the providerfor 101 contracts over 2 billion and the provider for services 101 contracts over 2 billion and the providerfor services to 101 contracts over 2 billion and the provider for services to the mod and home office and providing flood warning systems and environment agencies and this is a system which was very much a key part of the provision of the government services which we have come to know and expect in this country. seen expect in this country. an introduction, _ expect in this country. an introduction, what one postmasters told the bbc that there are still problems even now with this system. many will find it extraordinary that this system which is at the root of a miscarriage ofjustice which is caused so much misery across her screens are still being used is still causing mistakes and the differences that cou

a fujitsu expert witness told thejudge in his case there was nothing wrong with horizon at his branchknow, he means it, i'm not saying that he doesn't, but it's about doing things, it's about actions. some of the victims want to meet the fujitsu boss to discuss assistance and support. he said he would be happy to, apologising again for his company's part in their suffering. emma simpson, bbc news. the head of the uk's health security agency is warning that measles could spread rapidly in parts of the uk unless more children are vaccinated. it says vaccination rates are well below what's recommended. measles is highly contagious and can lead to serious complications including meningitis, blindness, and seizures. more than 200 cases of the disease have been confirmed in the west midlands recently. here's our health editor, hugh pym. a vaccination bus out on the road today, promoting the benefits and offering a range of vaccines in a london borough. the capital has the lowest rate of take—up in england for mmr jabs with protection against measles and officials are appealing for more fami

giant behind the flawed horizon software.f the scandal. to the supposed masters and their families, we apologise, fujitsu apologises and is sorry for our part in this appalling miscarriage of justice. this inquiry is examining those events forensically over many, many decades, which involve many parties, not least fujitsu and the post office, but other organisations and individuals. we are determined to continue to support this inquiry and get to the truth, wherever it lies, and at the conclusion of the inquiry and the guidance from this inquiry, engage with government on suitable contribution and redress to the supposed masters and their families. for more on this we go live now to our correspondent zoe conway, who's outside the inquiry in central london. a further apology from the boss at the tech firm at the centre of the scandal, but once again all of this changes very little for all of those postmasters and mistresses that were caught up in this, some of them with devastating consequences. exactly. it has been a really i

the government has previously said it will pursue it firm fujitsu — which designed the horizon software's hear now from some of the sub—postmasters who've been through this scandal. bbc breakfast invited a group of them onto their sofas this morning — here's a little of what they had to say. i'm tom hedges. i ran a post office at hoxton, which is about eight miles outside skegness. i was there for 16 years until i was dismissed in 2009 and convicted in court in 2010. i had to wait a number of years until 2021 when my conviction was overturned. and frankly, it wrecked my life, my family's life and everybody i know�*s life. it was the most horrendous thing i have ever been through. i was very lucky in one way — i didn't go bankrupt like a lot of the other people. and ijust feel very privileged to sit here this morning and address the nation because of the wonderful tv show that the itv have produced. it seems a weird thing to say on the bbc, but there we go. i do feel that that story has dragged us right onto the very top of the media agenda, and i'm very, very pleased that that's the cas

the government has previously said it will pursue the it firm fujitsu — which designed the horizon software sub—postmasters whose lives were ruined by this scandal. bbc breakfast spoke to a group of them this morning — here's a little of what they had to say. i'm tom hedges. i ran a post office at hogsthorpe, which is about eight miles outside skegness. i was there for 16 years until i was dismissed in 2009 and convicted in court in 2010. i had to wait a number of years until 2021, when my conviction was overturned, and frankly, it wrecked my life, my family's life and everybody i know�*s life. it was the most horrendous thing i have ever been through. i was very lucky in one way. i didn't go bankrupt like a lot of the other people. and ijust feel very privileged to sit here this morning and address the nation because of the wonderful tv show that itv have produced. it seems a weird thing to say on the bbc, but there we go. i do feel that the story has dragged us right onto the very top of the media agenda, and i'm very, very pleased that that's the case. maria? hi. my name is maria. i'm fr