Nigel Railton: Former boss of previous National Lottery operator Camelot appointed as new Post Office chairman

The former boss of the previous National Lottery operator Camelot has been appointed as chairman of the scandal-hit Post Office. Nigel Railton was appointed by Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, replacing Henry Staunton, who was sacked from the role in January. The government said that Mr Railton will step into the role “as soon as possible” with pre-appointment checks still to take place.

Ms Badenoch said: “Nigel has the necessary experience to lead an organisation as large and complex as the Post Office and I’m confident he will work well with the leadership team to implement the change that is required in the organisation. The Government is committed to delivering justice for the postmasters, but also fulfil our duties to Post Office staff. I want to thank Nigel for stepping up to public service at a time of need, and I know he can help fix the issues of the past whilst transforming the company for the future.”

Mr Railton was chief at Camelot for over five years and stepped down from the the role in February 2023 after Alwyn bought out the company ahead of the lottery licence handover. He said: “This is an incredibly challenging time for the Post Office as it works to address historic failures while also striving to transform its business.”

It comes amid a tough time for the Post Office, which is currently at the centre of an ongoing public inquiry into the wrongful convictions of innocent subpostmasters who were accused of theft as a result of faulty Horizon IT software. The company is set to pay out to victims in a long-awaited compensation scheme.

Mr Staunton, Mr Railton’s predecessor, was sacked by the Business Secretary, with the pair going head-to-head in the media. Mr Staunton claimed in an interview with The Sunday Times that the Post Office had been asked by the government to delay the compensation payouts for subpostmasters before the next general election. Ms Badenoch denied these claims, calling them “completely false” and said that he was sacked as a result of “serious concerns about his behaviour”, which Mr Staunton denies.