Business
Disabled Post Office Horizon victim offered 15% of compensation claim
Emma SimpsonBusiness correspondent
BBCA victim of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal who was temporarily paralysed after the stress of her ordeal has been offered 15% of her compensation claim.
Janet Skinner was wrongly convicted of false accounting in 2007 and sentenced to nine months in prison after the faulty software said £59,000 had gone missing from her branch account in Hull.
She has now received an offer of full financial redress – but it is a fraction of what she had claimed. “I cried and I cried… it’s trauma on top of trauma,” she told the BBC.
The government said it made every effort to make full and fair offers to all claimants.
But according to Ms Skinner’s lawyer, all the high-value complex claims are being fought “tooth and nail”.
“They’ve taken a particularly cruel approach to Janet’s case,” claims Simon Goldberg, from Simons Muirhead Burton.
The mother-of-two lost her home, her livelihood and served two months in prison.
A year after her release, she was back in the dock facing another jail sentence as the Post Office pursued her for failing to pay “proceeds of crime”.
Less than a fortnight after the matter was resolved, she suffered a neurological collapse, was paralysed from the neck down and used a wheelchair for a year.
“My immune system had broken down, basically my body attacked itself,” said Ms Skinner.
‘I’m in pain all the time’
It took her two years to learn how to walk again but she has been unable to work because of ongoing problems with her health and mobility issues.
“I’m in pain all the time. It’s changed my life completely,” she said.
She said she misses being able to spray her deodorant or hairspray because of the damage to her hands. Her son helps with visits to the bathroom and she often has to get down the stairs on her bottom.
Her conviction was quashed in 2021 but it has taken more than four and a half years to prepare her claim, including being asked to submit five medical reports.
A hearing took place earlier this year where, according to her legal team, the Post Office finally accepted these expert reports, which concluded her ill health had been triggered by the extreme stress that she had suffered.
The size of Ms Skinner’s claim has not been revealed, though it is very significant.
“The sticking points are almost every element of her claim,” said Mr Goldberg.
The biggest contested issues include her loss of earnings and future care costs.
The Department for Business and Trade recently took over responsibility for delivering redress for sub-postmasters whose convictions were overturned by the courts, including Ms Skinner’s case.
A spokesperson said it did not comment on individual cases, but that it took every effort to make full and fair offers. An independent dispute resolution process was available to all applicants who were not content with their offer, they said.
More than £1bn worth of compensation has already been paid out to more than 8,000 victims.
The bulk of these payouts has been in the form of uncontested fixed payouts, either £75,000 or £600,000 depending on the severity of the case.
Janet SkinnerComplex claims are proving far harder to settle. Victims and their legal teams allege government and Post Office-appointed lawyers are dragging things out to minimise payouts – something ministers consistently deny.
“It’s not saving the public purse a penny. It’s actually costing the public purse in the medium term,” claims Ms Skinner’s lawyer, arguing that hundreds of millions of pounds have already been racked up in legal fees by big City law firms handling the claims, as well as legal fees paid to victims’ solicitors.
Mr Goldberg has written to Darren Jones MP, who he says was a champion of the wronged sub-postmasters while in opposition. He is now effectively the prime minister’s right hand man.
“The only way to resolve this is political pressure from the very top,” said Mr Goldberg.
Ms Skinner has already rejected her offer and says, if need be, she is prepared to go to court if she does not receive sufficient redress for everything that she’s been through.
New Delhi: India’s Wholesale Price Index (WPI) or wholesale inflation has “bottomholesale inflation bottomed out, may still remain negated out” and will probably gain slight momentum from November onwards, even as it may still remain in negative territory for most of the remaining months of 2025-26, Union Bank of India said in a report.
The Bank’s 2025-26 WPI forecast is currently tracking below 0.35 per cent amid what are being stated as subdued global commodity prices and a seasonal decline in food prices (with the impact of floods on food inflation seen to be capped).
“Food WPI remains depressed – spatial flooding and supply-chain disruptions did not materialise as expected, keeping food prices contained,” the report read. With 2025-26 Consumer Price Index (CPI) or retail inflation projections of the Union Bank of India also running sharply below the RBI’s latest estimates, it expects a 25 basis points repo rate cut in the upcoming December monetary policy review meeting.
While real GDP growth momentum remains robust, the report asserts that nominal GDP growth is expected to come under pressure due to subdued 2025-26 CPI and WPI projections. India’s wholesale inflation turned negative in October, with the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) recording a decline of (-) 1.21 per cent in October 2025 compared to the same month last year, according to official data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Friday.
A decrease in the costs of food articles, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, mineral oils, and basic metals mainly drove the fall in prices. The Ministry stated that the month-on-month change in WPI for October stood at (-) 0.06 per cent compared to September 2025.
The government releases the index number of wholesale price in India every month on the 14th of every month (or next working day, if the 14th falls on a holiday) with a time lag of two weeks of the reference month, and the index number is compiled with data received from institutional sources and selected manufacturing units across the country.
Inflation has been a concern for many countries, including advanced economies. However, India has largely managed to steer its inflation trajectory in a favourable direction. The RBI held its benchmark repo rate steady at 6.5 per cent for the eleventh consecutive time, before cutting it for the first time in about five years in February 2025.
Business
Gems trade slump: Exports fall 31% in October; bullion volatility, early US stocking hit demand – The Times of India
India’s gems and jewellery exports fell sharply in October, sliding 30.57% to $2.17 billion (Rs 19,172.89 crore) compared to the same month last year, according to data released by the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), PTI reported.Exports in October 2024 had stood at $3.12 billion (Rs 26,237.1 crore).GJEPC chairman Kirit Bhansali said the decline was largely expected, as overseas buyers had advanced their festive-season stocking before the US tariff came into effect.“Most of the stocking up for the festivals took place before August 27. Therefore, in October the demand was down. The decline in gold and silver exports is triggered by volatile bullion prices,” Bhansali told PTI.He added that exports should revive in November with Chinese market recovery and Christmas demand from major global buyers.Exports of cut and polished diamonds fell 26.97% to $1.02 billion (Rs 9,071.41 crore), down from $1.40 billion (Rs 11,806.45 crore) a year earlier.Shipments of polished lab-grown diamonds also saw a steep slide of 34.90% to $94.37 million (Rs 834.45 crore), compared with $144.96 million (Rs 1,218.25 crore) last October.Gold jewellery exports dropped 28.4% to $850.15 million (Rs 7,520.34 crore) from $1.18 billion (Rs 9,975.17 crore) a year earlier.Exports of coloured gemstones during April–October slipped 3.21% to $250.14 million (Rs 2,173.08 crore).Silver jewellery shipments dipped 16% in October to $121.37 million (Rs 1,072.81 crore), down from $145.05 million (Rs 1,219.01 crore) in 2024.
Business
Power Of SIP: Want Rs 4 crore In 29 years? Here’s How Much You May Need To Invest Every Month
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Embrace the power of compounding wealth by opting for a mutual fund SIP plan that suits your monthly income standards and risk capacity.
How much to invest to get Rs 4 crore as wealth? (Photo Credit: Instagram)
Looking to accumulate wealth to safeguard your future or build a significant retirement corpus? It is time for you to get your investment bone ticking instead of merely paying expenses from your monthly salary. It is time to embrace the power of compounding by investing a fixed amount every month in a Systematic Investment Plan towards a beneficial mutual fund scheme available in the market.
A Systematic Investment Plan entails a long-term investment strategy, where valuable interest is generated and earned on the principal sums invested. Most investors hope to generate enough gains to sustain their livelihood amid rising inflation and uncertainties. But what if an investor wishes to deal in crores at the end of the investment tenure, how much would they have to invest every month?
How To Earn Rs 4 Crore Via 29-Year-Long SIP Plan
If you invest through a Systematic Investment Plan that delivers an average annual return of 12 per cent, you can aim to accumulate over Rs 4 crore by the end of 29 years. To reach this goal, an investor would need to contribute Rs 15,000 per month throughout the investment period.
Over 29 years, the estimated gains generated from investing Rs 15,000 monthly at a 12 per cent return work out to Rs 3.58 crore. This figure is indicative and may change depending on market performance, economic conditions, and fund behaviour.
Total Earnings
If we combine the principal investment of Rs 52,20,200 (Rs 15,000 * 12 months * 29 years) with the capital gains achieved, we end with a total of Rs 4.1 crore. So you can start your investment journey with the ambition of reaching over Rs 4 crore in wealth by investing Rs 15,000 in a SIP mutual fund plan.
Before proceeding, however, individuals must do due diligence and consult a financial expert to identify the best scheme for them to invest in. Since mutual funds are subject to market risks, individuals with a poor risk appetite should be extra careful before investing.
A team of writers and reporters decodes vast terms of personal finance and making money matters simpler for you. From latest initial public offerings (IPOs) in the market to best investment options, we cover al…Read More
A team of writers and reporters decodes vast terms of personal finance and making money matters simpler for you. From latest initial public offerings (IPOs) in the market to best investment options, we cover al… Read More
November 15, 2025, 18:11 IST
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