Prescott criticises Royal Mail sell-off

[POSTMAN]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... l-off.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

John Prescott criticises Royal Mail sell-off

John Prescott, the former Deputy Prime Minister, has voiced his opposition to Government plans for the partial sell off of Royal Mail.

In a rare foray into the current political debate, Mr Prescott told a Labour Party supporter of his concerns about plans by Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, to part-privatise the service.

The email to a Labour supporter, which was posted on the grassroots website labourhome.org, includes a reference to the campaign he led in 1994 against the then-Conservative government's proposals to privatise the Post Office.

Mr Prescott went on: "Fourteen years on, Royal Mail and the Post Office face further difficulties, some due to the reluctance to meet the challenges of change, but they still benefit from remaining in the people's hands."

The intervention by a respected former deputy leader is likely to fuel growing backbench disquiet over the proposal.

A campaign against post office closures has been led by The Daily Telegraph.

John Grogan, Labour MP for Selby and an opponent of the plan, welcomed his remarks, saying that: "they would carry a lot of influence in the party".

The issue of Royal Mail is likely to be raised when the Parliamentary Labour Party meets on Monday for the first time since the New Year.

Plans for a third runway at Heathrow and demands by some Labour MPs for a windfall tax on energy companies are also likely to lead to heated debate at the meeting.

[DGP1]

Things are bad whenever we get support from the Daily Telegraph

[norbert]

Things are bad whenever we get support from the Daily Telegraph

there is also support from that well known bunch of Wolfies , the Countryside Alliance - John Prescott had a frank exchange of blows / views with one of their members in Rhyl

that paper has gone down with it's ownership changes and sackings of hacks and sub - editors - it was high - tory but more even handed than some papers