Labour MPs slammed over post office vote

Mar 27 2008 by Samantha Mendez, Rhymney Valley Express

CHEATED campaigners have hit out at South Wales Labour MPs after none of them voted in favour of an amendment to save threatened post offices.

After siding with the community in the fight to save doomed post offices, Wayne David MP for Caerphilly made the shock decision to vote with Government, rather than stick with his original decision to save the post offices.

The Conservative motion to suspend the closures in Parliament sparked a Labour revolt that saw the Government’s Commons majority slashed.

It was defeated by only 20 votes, meaning Gordon Brown’s working majority of 67 was cut by more than two thirds.

But not one of South Wales’ Labour MPs rebelled and voted with the Tories.

The only local MP to vote for the amendment was the Liberal Democrat Cardiff Central MP Jenny Willott.

Post office user and campaigner against the closures Mark Cummings said MPs in South Wales should have voted differently.

Mr David MP said: “The vote in the House of Commons highlighted the pious, sanctimonious opportunism of the Tories and their Nationalist and Lib Dem allies. If the Tory motion had been passed it would not have saved one single post office, not least because it did not propose increasing the massive public subsidy to Post Office Ltd.

“My view is that, inevitably, some post offices, not in the Caerphilly Borough, should close their doors, but Post Office Ltd should make a much bigger effort to diversify its services.

“In the Caerphilly constituency I will continue to oppose the closure of all post offices. I have welcomed the review of the closure plan for Gilfach post office and have urged the Nationalists to cease their sectarian behaviour and to work with the local Labour Party to fight to retain local post offices.”

The Tory move to suspend the closure programme was rejected by 288 votes to 268.