Nick Clegg branded “worse than Thatcher”

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Nick Clegg branded “worse than Thatcher” for backing Royal Mail privatisation

The coalition wants to flog the organisation off by next March in moves campaigners fear will jack up stamp prices and cut services

Deputy PM Nick Clegg was branded “worse than Thatcher” for backing privatisation of the Royal Mail today.

The coalition wants to flog the organisation off by next March in moves campaigners fear will jack up stamp prices and cut services.

Liberal Democrat leader Mr Clegg was tackled over the sell-off when he stood in for David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons.

Shadow Post minister Ian Murray asked Mr Clegg whether he agreed with former Tory PM Margaret Thatcher and the Lib Dems’ election manifesto that the Royal Mail was a privatisation too far.

The Deputy PM said that Labour should welcome a sell-off which could see posties take a stake in the company.

Afterwards, Mr Murray said his response “confirmed what the public knew all along - he’s worse than Thatcher”.

The late Prime Minister “even as the most zealous of privatisation proponents, could not bring herself to ‘privatise the Queen’s head’,” the MP said.

“The Government’s plans are ill-thought through and are a blatant attempt to spare the blushes of the Chancellor and Prime Minister and their failing economic plan that will borrow £245bn more than anticipated.

“Privatisation should be halted, not because it might cost rural Tory MPs their seats, but for the sake of consumers and small businesses across the UK who rely on the postal service and who are at risk of paying the price for this ideologically-driven and rushed fire sale.”

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Murray: Royal Mail privatisation – Clegg worse than Thatcher

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Following his question to the Deputy Prime Minister on Royal Mail privatisation, Ian Murray, Shadow Minister for Postal Affairs and MP for Edinburgh South, said:

“The Deputy Prime Minister’s response confirmed what the public knew all along – he’s worse than Thatcher, who, even as the most zealous of privatisation proponents, could not bring herself to ‘privatise the Queen’s head’. This follows concerns expressed by the oldest Tory think-tank in the UK, the Bow Group, who this week said that privatisation will be ‘deeply unpopular with the British public, prices will rise at a time we can least afford it, [and] an amenity that many communities consider crucial will be removed.’ Ministers should sit up and take heed from their think-tank colleagues.

“The Government’s plans are ill-thought through and are a blatant attempt to spare the blushes of the Chancellor and Prime Minister and their failing economic plan that will borrow £245bn more than anticipated.

“Privatisation should be halted, not because it might cost rural Tory MPs their seats, but for the sake of consumers and small businesses in Scotland and across the rest of UK who rely on the postal service and who are at risk of paying the price for this ideologically-driven and rushed fire sale.”