WESTMINSTER MPs have voted to exclude Scotland from new legislation exonerating people who were wrongly convicted amid the Horizon Post Office scandal.

Errors in the Post Office’s Horizon IT system meant money appeared to be missing from many branch accounts when, in fact, it was not. As a result, the UK Government-owned organisation prosecuted more than 700 subpostmasters who were handed criminal convictions between 1999 and 2015.

However, the Tory government has insisted that Westminster legislation exonerating the victims will apply to every UK nation except Scotland – despite justice also being devolved to Northern Ireland.

Speaking in the chamber, SNP MP Marion Fellows (below) said it was “absolutely disgraceful”.

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She told the Commons: “At the outset, can I say if I cry this afternoon it won’t be because I’m upset, it’ll be because I’m angry, and I am feeling got at by other parties in this place who are determined not to include Scotland into this bill.”

Fellows said the Government’s reasons for not including Scotland were “spurious”.

She told MPs: “Every time I’ve been here and anything legal comes up, I am told by this place that this Parliament is sovereign – well, prove it.

“Put this bill into Scotland as well. You can stand at the back and smile and snigger, I mean this.

“It’s absolutely disgraceful that you are saying to Scottish subpostmasters who were convicted that they can’t get justice at the same time as their English, Welsh and Northern Irish counterparts.

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“This is a Westminster problem, Westminster must and should sort it out, and it’s easily done.

“Ask for a legislative consent motion and you’ll get it, the Scottish Parliament will put a bill through to exonerate these postmasters but they cannot do it, they cannot mirror exactly what is done in this place until this bill goes through all of its stages.”

Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake responded: “[Fellows] said this Parliament is sovereign. Absolutely it is sovereign, but on these matters her Parliament is also sovereign.

“Clearly, as she said earlier in her remarks, there are legal controversies in these matters as she admitted herself and we are taking in this Parliament the legal risk around that.”

He added: “Does she not believe that in that situation her Parliament should act in terms to overturn these convictions?”

The SNP tabled a motion to ensure the UK Parliament legislation was extended to Scotland, but the Tories voted against it. It was defeated by 265 votes to 42. No Labour MPs voted.

Six MPs from the Democratic Unionist Party backed the SNP’s motion.

The Northern Irish MPs thanked the Tory minister for including their nation in the bill.

Interim leader of the DUP Gavin Robinson said: “We are indebted to [Hollinrake]. We recognise that this is a huge step forward for those subpostmasters in Northern Ireland who felt that there wouldn’t be light at the end of the tunnel.”

DUP MP Jim Shannon said: “On behalf of 23 postmasters and postmistresses in Northern Ireland … a week ago or a month ago they had little hope, today they have hope, and that’s due down to the minister’s endeavours on behalf of them.”