Gill Furniss MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Steel, Postal Affairs, and Consumer Protection, commenting on tomorrow’s (Monday) planned postal strike, said:

“With branches closing, thousands of job losses and real uncertainty for the future, the Government has to take responsibility and set out a proper strategy for the future of the Post Office. It was the Government that split the Post Office from Royal Mail which is now paying out hundreds of millions of pounds in dividends – what we are seeing is a crisis of this Government’s own making.

“The public and businesses which rely on the Post Office have a right to expect more than a programme of managed decline. We are calling for a new strategy to grow revenues and its services as a matter of urgency. The Post Office has been and should be a key part of our infrastructure but it cannot survive relentless cost-cutting.”