Baron Challenges Government over Post Office Closures

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, John Baron MP challenged Business Secretary John Hutton MP at Question Time over the future of the Post Office Card Account and the viability of small Post Offices. With branches closing across the constituency, John believes the Card Account could provide valuable business for Post Offices and help keep more open.

In his question, John asked: “Given that the National Federation of sub-Postmasters believe that a failure to keep the Post Office Card Account will result in a further 3,000 Post Office closures, will the Secretary of State now listen to residents up and down the country who are fed-up with Post Office closures and give a firm undertaking that the decision on the Card Account will be announced before the Summer Recess in a statement to the House?”

In reply, John Hutton said it is widely accepted that some Post Offices must close.

Later, John pressed Leader of the House of Commons, Harriet Harman MP, on the contradiction between John Hutton forcing Post Office closures on communities up and down the country whilst campaigning against closures in his own area.

Afterwards, John said: “There is huge public interest in the fact that, on the one hand, the Government is forcing 2,500 Post Offices to close whilst, on the other, the Secretary of State for Business is opposing a closure in his own back yard. This smacks of hypocrisy and I am pressing the Government to come clean in a statement to the House.”