SNP COMMENT ON ROYAL MAIL ANNOUNCEMENT

SNP COMMENT ON ROYAL MAIL ANNOUNCEMENT

Commenting on confirmation that the UK Government has ditched immediate plans to part-privatise Royal Mail, SNP Postal Affairs spokesperson Mike Weir MP said the proposals should be permanently abandoned.

Mr Weir said:

“Privatisation of Royal Mail should not just be put off for another day, it should be ruled out once and for all.

“By threatening to resuscitate privatisation plans later Lord Mandelson is creating continued uncertainty for Royal Mail workers and customers. The government should focus on ensuring a long term successful future for a public Royal Mail service.

“This humiliating climb-down, hard on the heels of a u-turn on ID cards, shows the UK government is in complete chaos.

“Lord Mandelson can’t even get his story straight on why privatisation was abandoned – first it was because the plans were jostling for space in the legislative agenda, and now it is because the economic conditions are not right.

“The truth is that it was the political conditions that were not right – Lord Mandelson was on a collision course with Labour MPs and unions.

“Royal Mail must remain in public hands and the SNP will continue to fight for the retention of publicly-owned postal services.”