Sir Alan Bates: has anyone ever been more deserving of a knighthood?

My rock and I: Sir Alan Bates (right), Founder, Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance, with his wife Lady Suzanne Sercombe, after being made a Knight Bachelor by the Princess Royal during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, Berkshire. (photo PA)

Leaders

Published 26th Sep 2024, 08:24 GMT

For more than a decade, The Yorkshire Post can be counted amongst the few news outlets who believed the victims, standing alongside those whose lives were destroyed by what we now know to be one of the most egregious state-sponsored scandals and subsequent cover-ups in British history.

Yet, it is a critical detail, that this newspaper has been so determined to help obtain justice for the 700-plus subpostmasters who were prosecuted, accused of stealing money, their livelihoods, reputations, mental and physical health shot to pieces.

And it is critical because in that time, The Yorkshire Post has been afforded the privilege of observing from a distance one of the great crusaders of our time: Alan Bates. Sir Alan Bates.

In typical fashion for the no-nonsense campaigner, when asked how he felt about receiving his Knighthood, Sir Alan said: “It was a bit of a surprise’” and that “it came out of the blue”. He added: “It’s been a hard slog over many years.”

However, since ITV so adroitly brought to life the plight of those poor souls caught up in the Horizon scandal, and so much more detail has emerged into the public domain, Alan Bates’ elevation to Sir has not come out of the blue. It has come as a result of someone’s unswerving determination and commitment to fairness and to justice.

That he, and those who have helped him along the way, did not stop when Goliath appeared to have the upper hand over David, is quite remarkable.