Post office vote 'shame'

7:59am Friday 21st March 2008

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RYEDALE MP John Greenway has said that if 20 more Labour MPs had had the courage to vote with the Conservatives post office closures could have been stopped.

The Tories proposed a Parliamentary motion which would have suspended the closures, but were relying on MPs from other parties to support the proposal.

In the end the motion was defeated by 20 votes.

Mr Greenway said: "This was a chance to register a protest at the number of closures and the hypocrisy of ministers campaigning against closures in their own constituencies.

"I just think it's a real tragedy that 20 more MPs did not have the courage to go through the lobby as then the Government would have had to do something."

Selby Labour MP John Grogan did vote with the Conservatives, saying that he voted with his conscience.

He said the policy of closing post officers had begun under Margaret Thatcher, but it did not mean it was right that Labour carried on closing them. Mr Grogan said: "Just as I opposed previous post office closures, I opposed these and everyone has to make their own decision how to vote in Parliament. I felt this was the most appropriate way to demonstrate to my party how unhappy I am with the post office closure policy."

But York Labour MP Hugh Bayley refused to vote against his party despite speaking out against the closures, supporting moves to keep local post offices open and helping to deliver The Press's 6,000-name petition against closures to Downing Street.

He claimed the Conservative proposal would have resulted in less money being pumped into the system and more post offices facing the axe.

He said: "If the Conservative policy had been passed far more post offices would have been closed as the Labour Government has approved a £1.7 billion subsidy to the Post Office. The Conservatives criticised the Government, but made no mention of subsidy."