Ex-Camelot boss to be named as Post Office chair

The former boss of Camelot will be named as the new chairman of the Post Office after its last leader was sacked, the BBC understands.

As first reported by Sky, Nigel Railton has been invited by the Business Secretary to take on the role after Henry Staunton was asked to leave in January.

It is expected Mr Railton, who stepped down from Camelot last year, will be confirmed in the position on Wednesday.

The government made no comment.

Mr Railton, who spent 24 years at Camelot UK, has also worked for car manufacturer Daewoo and the former British Rail.

He is reported to be expecting to take up the post immediately, to ensure the delivery of millions of pounds in compensation to sub-postmasters over the Horizon IT scandal.

Sky News reports suggested that it was unclear, however, whether this would be on an interim or a long-term basis.

Mr Railton currently chairs Argentex Group, a London-listed provider of currency management services. He is also a trustee of the Social Mobility Foundation, according to his profile on the social platform LinkedIn.

He did not immediately respond to the BBC's requests for comment.

Mr Railton left the former National Lottery operator during a shake-up around the time Allwyn Entertainment acquired Camelot UK.

Camelot had run the lottery since the game's launch in 1994, but it faced tough competition and its licence ended in February, with a new one for 10 years being given to Allwyn instead.

The Department for Business and Trade will be hoping Mr Railton's tenure will signal a new beginning in its relationship with the troubled organisation.

Former chairman Henry Staunton was sacked by Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch in January after little more than a year in the role - leading to a bitter public row between the two.

The Post Office is owned by the government and is the subject of a long-running inquiry into the Horizon scandal, where hundreds of sub-postmasters were prosecuted after faulty software made it appear money was missing from their accounts.

After his exit, Mr Staunton claimed in an interview with the Sunday Times that he had been advised by a civil servant to stall compensation payments to allow the government to "limp into the election" without the impact of a large pay-out.

The government strongly denied the allegation and Ms Badenoch claimed Mr Staunton was under a "formal investigation" for "serious matters such as bullying".

Mr Staunton refuted this. He then disclosed in February that it was actually current chief executive Nick Read who was under investigation after a Speak Up complaint was made against him.

The Post Office confirmed at the time there were complaints against Mr Read and other staff, however he has since been cleared of all misconduct allegations following an investigation carried out by an external barrister.

The row has been criticised by former sub-postmasters, including campaigner Alan Bates, who described it as a "sideshow" to the inquiry.

The BBC approached the Department for Business and Trade but it did not offer any comment.