Post Office closures `Inevitable' – Blair

The Prime Minister today said post office closures were “inevitable” and rejected claims that the Government was “bribing” people into quitting urban branches.

MPs last month approved a #210 million state aid package for the network which will see up to 3,000 branches close due to falling trade and massive losses.

Those that survive will be able to claim up to #10,000 each to fund improvements.

At Commons questions time, Tory former minister Christopher Chope (Christchurch) asked Mr Blair : “Why have you abandoned your support for urban sub-post offices?

“Two years ago you said that you would work positively to ensure that all sub-post offices were able to become Government `general practitioners`.

“You have now abandoned that and are instead bribing sub-postmasters with #180 million of taxpayers’ money to close down their services.

“Isn’t this a great disservice to the pensioners in Christchurch and many other boroughs as well?”

Mr Blair said the Government had an “agreement” with sub-postmasters and would be investing “hundreds of millions of pounds” in the network.

“It is inevitable, I am afraid, that some will close, as they did under the last Conservative government.

“It is absurd to pretend there is an easy solution. However we are putting a lot of extra investment in so that those businesses that can survive and have a viable future are given one.

“But the reason we’ve entered into the agreement with the sub-postmasters is that they recognise, unlike you, that there is a genuine problem to be tackled.”