Reading West MP, Martin Salter, used a speech in the House of Commons yesterday to highlight the hypocrisy of the Conservatives tabling a motion calling for a halt to the current post office closures programme whilst refusing to guarantee to match the current level of government subsidy required to keep even a reduced network in business. Mr Salter also pointed out the irresponsibility of local Tories in scaremongering over the future of three post offices in his Reading West constituency that were never even considered as part of the closure programme in Southcote, Hildens Drive, and Purley.

As the Conservative motion failed to give any financial commitments and only related to future closures, not ones such as in Berkshire that have already been agreed, Mr Salter pressed the Tory Shadow Post Office Minister Alan Duncan to come clean. He said:

Martin Salter: … If I am to be tempted to vote for the motion, will he give an undertaking on behalf of his party to put £1.7 billion of investment into the network so that it can be sustained in a good old socialist fashion up to 2011?

Alan Duncan: I will not do that, and furthermore I do not need to do that to win the argument today,

The Conservatives also accepted in the debate that the Post Office Network had to shrink:

Alan Duncan: We understand that the Post Office is haemorrhaging around £4 million a week; that the development of online mail has eviscerated part of the Post Office’s traditional customer base; and that in this difficult business climate, uncertain times lie ahead. Although the closure of post offices is one of the most emotional political issues, we in the Opposition do not lead with our heads. Let me make it clear that we fully expect the network to shrink in size. We have never given a guarantee that no post offices will close

In his own speech Mr Salter attacked both the Tory motion and the conduct of his local Tory opponent Alok Sharma.

Mr Salter said:

“I found the attitude of the Conservatives’ motion not only hypocritical and incoherent, but profoundly cynical and dishonest. How can they will the ends but not provide the means? How can they accept that closures are inevitable, but fail to put a number on how many branches should close? Let us also bear a history lesson in mind. Some 3,500 post offices closed under the previous Conservative Administration and, to my certain knowledge, Tory MPs in Berkshire campaigned to defend their local post offices at that time, so how can they criticise Labour and Liberal MPs for wanting to do precisely the same thing? That does not add up.

He added:

“The local Conservatives were noisy but spectacularly irrelevant. As I said earlier, my opposite number, the Tory candidate, launched a campaign a month before the publication of the closure programme to save three branches in Southcote, Purley and Hildens drive that were never at risk and were never going to be at risk. Yet he and his campaign failed even to lodge an objection with Postwatch or to engage in the campaign to help those branches that were earmarked for closure. This is the sort of irresponsible behaviour that has been mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Brent, South (Ms Butler), and means that local people, pensioners and disabled people who rely on their post office to provide vital services end up frightened and distressed.

“Scaremongering and unnecessarily frightening pensioners in my constituency is no substitute for good, honest campaigning. The dishonesty, incoherence and hypocrisy in the Conservative motion are no substitute for honest politics and there is no case for going into the Lobby tonight for the Conservative Party.”

As well as criticising the Conservative tactics Mr Salter also singled out Postwatch for censure in failing to make good the promise to escalate to a formal review the proposed closure of Wantage Road in his constituency.

Mr Salter said:

“The reviews were then announced, and it turned out that Postwatch did not mean what it said. Although it expressed serious reservations and had asked for reconsideration, it had failed to trigger the formal process. The lesson for hon. Members is that if they get Postwatch on their side-and they need to-they should please make sure that it means what it says. Weasel words alone will not save a branch in any of our constituencies.”

In common with other Labour MPs, Mr Salter received an identikit letter from Mr Sharma which had been produced by Conservative Central Office. A copy of his response is attached.

Speaking after the debate Mr Salter said:

“I have always been upfront with my constituents that the post office network would have to shrink to reflect the declining business and the increase in online transactions. I have only campaigned to save those post offices where there was a realistic chance of demonstrating that either the published criteria for closure had not been met or where real hardship would occur. I did not challenge all of the 2004 closures but instead concentrated on The Meadway and Whitley Wood of branches and was successful in the case of Whitley Wood.”

“I believe we had made a similarly strong case this time in respect of Wantage Road in particular and were let down by Postwatch at the last minute.

“Despite my anger and disappointment over the Wantage Road I was not about to engage in futile gesture politics by voting for a hypocritical and incoherent Tory motion that would not and could not, reverse decisions that have already been made.”