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UNDER HIS WATCH?

Sir Keir Starmer was in charge of the CPS when subpostmasters were taken to court

Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith said both Sir Keir and the CPS needed to 'clarify whether any of these happened under his watch'

SIR Keir Starmer was in charge of the Crown Prosecution Service when subpostmasters were taken to court, it emerged last night.

The Labour leader was top prosecutor from 2008 to 2013 — when the CPS was involved in 11 cases with evidence connected to Horizon.

The Labour leader was in charge of the Crown Prosecution Service when subpostmasters were taken to court
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The Labour leader was in charge of the Crown Prosecution Service when subpostmasters were taken to courtCredit: UK PARLIAMENT

Three ended in convictions.

His spokesman insisted: “During Keir’s time as Chief Prosecutor no cases relating to Horizon were brought to his desk.

“The scandal that’s emerged is one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history and Labour has been calling for swift exoneration and compensation for the victims. “

Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith said both Sir Keir and the CPS needed to “clarify whether any of these happened under his watch”.

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But a CPS spokesperson last night said: “The vast majority of these cases were private prosecutions brought by the Post Office.

“We’ve worked extensively and identified a small number of CPS cases which involved evidence connected to Horizon.

“In these cases, we have written to those defendants to disclose information so they could pursue an appeal.”

Meanwhile, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey was under fire after it was revealed he refused to meet lead campaigner Alan Bates when he was a minister in 2010.

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