Between 1999 and 2015, hundreds of deputy postmasters and mistresses were unfairly prosecuted after a faulty computer system called Horizon made it appear that money was missing from their branches.

Monday marked the start of the final week of evidence in the inquiry into the scandal, more than two and a half years since it began hearing evidence in public.

Badenoch said the four-part ITV drama, which premiered in January, raised awareness of the issue, turning the trade-off from “a perceived value for money to a matter of public perception”.

He insisted that the previous government was working on this issue, but admitted it was “too slow.”

The inquiry heard how Badenoch told the Treasury he wanted to make “fixed offers” of £100,000 to all subpostmasters with a claim, and the inquiry to barrister Jason Beer KC described his mention of “ministerial management” as a threat.

He said this could be seen as “soft power” or “posturing.”

But Badenoch denied the claim, saying: “I was pointing out the direction I wanted the department to take to make it very clear.”

He said he believed speed should trump accuracy and admitted this may not have represented good value for money from a taxpayer’s point of view.

Mr Bates vs The Post Office put the investigation back in the spotlight after it aired.