The Post Office has spent over £600m on the flawed Horizon IT system, which it sought to replace more than a decade ago, following warnings about the contract’s issues, particularly regarding intellectual property ownership. The government, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown, was informed of potential problems before the £548m deal with Fujitsu was finalized in 1999, yet the Post Office continued to invest, amounting to £2.5bn in contracts. Despite attempts to develop a new system, delays and rising costs may keep the Post Office reliant on Fujitsu until 2030.
