Post Office general counsel steps back from business

The Post Office’s leading in-house lawyer and key contact with the ongoing public inquiry has stepped back from his job.

The organisation confirmed today that general counsel Ben Foat is not currently at work, although it stressed he has not left his position.

A spokesperson said: ‘We can confirm that Mr Foat, who is set to give further evidence to the inquiry, is temporarily away from the business. We cannot comment on individual employment matters.’

Foat has been a key figure since the start of the inquiry in his role as chief legal officer responsible for overseeing the disclosure of documents.

Last year he apologised after it emerged that the Post Office had not disclosed a document which had categorised postmasters using racist and outdated terms for people of different ethnicities. He also had to explain why other documents were not disclosed until shortly before they were due to be relevant to the inquiry.

Foat was then due to appear before the inquiry again last month but the hearing was postponed due to the illness of a member of the inquiry's legal team. The revised hearing is due to take place in September.

He has been a key figure in the Post Office for some time, serving as legal director for nine years before becoming general counsel in 2020. He was named In-house Solicitor of the Year at the 2018 Law Society Excellence Awards.

The Post Office has confirmed that Sarah Gray, group legal director, has been appointed to the role of interim group general counsel.

John Dillon joined the organisation this month and has been appointed interim general counsel for work on the inquiry. He was previously legal director and company secretary at Camelot.