Labour MPs slammed over Post Office closures.

1:29pm Thursday 20th March 2008

Comments (18)   Have your say »

By Matt Smith »

Alan Whitehead and John Denham today face accusations of hypocrisy for having campaigned to save post offices in the city whilst voting last night for closures.

They voted with the Government to narrowly defeat a Tory motion to halt a programme which will axe up to 2,500 branches across the UK - including 62 in Hampshire.

At least 20 Labour MPs rebelled to support the motion along with the Lib Dems.

Conservative parliamentary candidate for Test Jeremy Moulton said: "Our MPs are not standing up for the city. Once again when it comes to the crunch they are simply Gordon Brown's voice in Southampton."

He added: "Local communities in Southampton will be hit hard by these closures which will be very damaging and disruptive, particularly for elderly people."

Mr Whitehead, Test MP, complained about the post office review which proposed closing four branches in his constituency.

He said his objections "specifically related to the issue of the consultation".

He claimed the Conservatives had failed to commit to investing any extra money in the network and pointed out that the former Tory-led Southampton City Council had voted against exploring the option of the council stepping in to support some branches.

Itchen MP Mr Denham, Cabinet minister for skills, campaigned against the closure of the branch in Oaktree Road, Bitterne Park.

Mr Denham said: "It's quite possible to support overall Government policy of capping the taxpayers' subsidy to post offices, and putting more money in, while not agreeing with the way the Post Office takes every single decision."

"If I had said I'm opposed to all post offices closing on principle then I would be criticised - but I haven't opposed all of the closures."

Tory Itchen candidate Royston Smith said: "It's time John Denham put his constituents first. They don't want him campaigning outside their local Post Offices one minute and voting with the government to close them the next."

Lib Dem MP for Eastleigh Chris Huhne said Mr Denham should have resigned from his Government post to oppose the post office closures in the same way as he did over the Iraq war.

Mr Smith backed the call: "If Mr Denham had an ounce of integrity he would have supported his constituents and backed Conservative calls for the closures to be re-assessed. "Once again, we have the Government's man in Southampton, rather than Southampton's man in Government."

Conservatives want a full revaluation of the closure programme to see where more business can be put into the post office network. It might involve working with Royal Mail or local councils.

They accuse the Government for managing the decline of the post offices rather than building the network up.