Keir Starmer insists he was ‘not conscious’ of Post Office trials when he was chief prosecutor | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he “knew nothing” in regards to the trials of sub-postmasters when he was England’s chief prosecutor.

It comes as a former cupboard minister has known as for an investigation into his function as Director of Public Prosecutions within the scandal.

The row over the worst miscarriage of justice in trendy historical past threatened to overshadow the Labour chief’s launch of his new Mission Tour which started this week with a visit.

Every different week Sir Keir will likely be travelling to a special a part of the nation as he gears up for the election.

But questions are being requested about why as Director of Public Prosecutions he didn’t intervene over the prosecutions of sub-postmasters largely carried out by the Post Office.

Some of the prosecutions had been additionally completed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), when Sir Keir was in cost.

Asked if he was conscious of the prosecutions, Sir Keir stated: “No, I wasn’t aware of any of them. I think it was a small number within a 20-year window. That’s all I know. I don’t even know how many [the CPS] were involved in. I think CPS is helping.”

Former Brexit minister David Jones intervened within the Commons yesterday to ask whether or not the 11 prosecutions, together with three underneath Sir Keir’s management. by the Crown Prosecution Service of postmasters, could be included in a brand new Bill to exonerate all of them.

He additionally requested that the Ministry of Justice perform “an investigation into the CPS decision-making”.

Mr Jones instructed Express.co.uk: “For part of that period Starmer was in charge and we need to know how involved he was in the decisions to prosecute because as DPP he should have been.”

It got here on a day when it was revealed Labour Hull East MP Karl Turner had instructed as a defence lawyer for one sub-postmistress that she plead responsible despite the fact that she knew she was harmless.

Mr Turner has stated that on the time he was giving recommendation as a defence lawyer attempting to get a diminished sentence.

Sir Keir additionally used his briefing to insist that he’s “not pushing for a nanny state” as he launches a brand new plan to make Britain’s kids the healthiest they’ve been in historical past.

He promised that the plan would make Britain’s kids “taller” and “happier” claiming that malnutrition is inflicting a discount within the common top.

The plan additionally proposes serving to kids clear their enamel at college though Sir Keir insisted that it was firstly a parental duty.

The top of the common British five-year previous lady has fallen by 27 locations in worldwide rankings during the last three a long time, with the common British five-year-old boy has fallen by 33 locations on the peak league desk.

Labour additionally claims British kids right this moment are smaller than Haitian kids, fatter than the French, and fewer pleased than the Turks.

The plan will contain banning junk meals promoting earlier than 9pm on TV and introducing breakfast golf equipment for all main colleges.

Labour declare they will get an additional 700,000 dental appointments for kids.

Sir Keir stated: “Healthy, pleased kids is just not a pleasant to have, it’s a primary proper, with financial urgency. We need the following technology to be chasing their desires, not a dentist appointment. They must be aspiring to achieve their potential, not attain a physician.”