Post Office interim boss Brocklehurst lined up for permanent role

The acting chief executive of the Post Office is being lined up to take the job on a permanent basis as the state-owned company continues talks with ministers over its long-term funding arrangements.

Sky News has learnt that Neil Brocklehurst, who was named interim chief last September, is close to being handed the role.

Whitehall sources said on Monday that an announcement about Mr Brocklehurst's appointment was likely to be made in April.

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The decision, which requires the approval of business secretary Jonathan Reynolds, will bring a degree of stability to an organisation still grappling with the financial and reputational consequences of the Horizon IT scandal, which saw hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongly convicted of fraud and false accounting.

Reliant on the government for its funding, the Post Office has been in negotiations with ministers about delivering a previously pledged pay uplift this year.

Earlier this month, Sky News reported that Nigel Railton, the company's chairman, had informed thousands of Post Office managers that he had yet to gain certainty from Whitehall about a £120m increase for this year.

The sum was promised in November as part of a strategy to rebuild the Post Office in the wake of the Horizon scandal.

The Post Office has outlined plans for an ambitious transformation which includes franchising more than 100 directly managed branches.

A substantial number of jobs are also being cut at the company's head office as part of the restructuring.

Several tranches of those have already taken place.

Mr Brocklehurst replaced Nick Read at the Post Office's helm following a turbulent period for the outgoing boss.

Mr Read was repeatedly accused of being obsessed with his pay arrangements and being at the centre of a series of rows with both board colleagues and his government employers.

Like Mr Railton, Mr Brocklehurst is a former executive at Camelot, the previous National Lottery operator.

A Post Office spokesman declined to comment, while the Department for Business and Trade has been contacted for comment.