Andy Burnham defends deal with Japanese company at centre of Post Office scandal

Andy Burnham has defended signing a deal with the Japanese company at the centre of the Post Office scandal. The Greater Manchester mayor signed an 'explanatory agreement' with Fujitsu during a trade mission in Japan which he led late last year.

The company which developed the faulty accounting software blamed for the conviction of more than 900 Post Office managers has been in spotlight since an ITV drama about the scandal was broadcast earlier this month. 'Mr Bates vs The Post Office' highlighted the injustice faced by subpostmasters who were prosecuted for theft, false accounting and fraud due to issues with the Horizon software.

Responding to public outrage over the scandal which dates back to 1999, Rishi Sunak announced new legislation to quash wrongful convictions. But the Prime Minister has come under pressure to ban Fujitsu from getting government contracts due the role it played.

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Fujitsu has apologised to the subpostmasters and their families and promised to continue providing its 'full cooperation' in the public inquiry into the scandal. The company has 'voluntarily' decided not to bid for government contracts until that inquiry has concluded.

Mr Burnham has said that he will wait for the conclusion of the inquiry before making any decisions about Greater Manchester's deal with Fujitsu. The agreement signed in December could see the Japanese firm take part in a project partly funded by the government.

The government has committed £160m of public funding for Greater Manchester's Investment Zone which is set to create 32,000 jobs in the city-region and leverage private investment. The deal with Fujitsu, which was signed at the company's head