Gordon Brown battling to keep lid on Cabinet split over RM

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Gordon Brown battling to keep lid on Cabinet split over Royal Mail sell-off

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-storie ... _page.html



Gordon Brown was yesterday battling to keep the lid on a Cabinet split over the Royal Mail sell-off.

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson's handling of the issue was criticised at Tuesday's heated Cabinet meeting.

The row deepened yesterday when Government aide Jim McGovern resigned in protest at the part-privatisation.

He said it "beggared belief" the service could be partly sold off to Dutch postal company TNT.

No10 denied talk of a split, saying discussions had been "positive". But ex-Labour leader Neil Kinnock said there was "unease" about the measure and it would be "very difficult" to see through.

Lord Mandelson wants to cut 50,000 Royal Mail jobs and get an outside firm to run the service.

Taxpayers would be lumbered with its £7billion pension deficit.

Faced with a growing revolt, Lord Mandelson has promised a series of meetings with MPs.

But Tories said the disarray showed Labour was "split from top to bottom" over the issue.