Government weighed up sacking Paula Vennells in 2014

Government officials considered sacking Paula Vennells as the Post Office's chief executive in 2014 some five years before she resigned, an inquiry has heard.

According to government documents revealed at the long-running inquiry into the Horizon scandal, they had concerns about whether she was the right person to lead the group.

One issue was the perception that she was "unable to work with personalities that provide robust challenge to her".

Alice Perkins, who chaired the Post Office at the time and faced a second day of questioning by lawyers on Thursday, denied that Ms Vennells had surrounded herself with "yes-men and yes-women".

But she admitted that she herself started to have doubts about Ms Vennells' ability to lead the Post Office in 2014.

Ms Vennells continued to lead the company until 2019, receiving bonuses and was subsequently awarded a CBE "for services to the Post Office and to charity".

She handed the CBE back before being stripped of the honour.