Government dithering threatens Post Office

12.43.55pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 29th Jun 2009

Reacting to the news that the government is to delay the privatisation of Royal Mail, Elwyn Watkins, Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for Oldham East & Saddleworth said:

"The Labour government has effectively kicked Royal Mail privatisation into the long grass.

"This lack of strategic direction from the government is jeopardising the future of a vital service that employs a huge number of people in the Oldham area.

"The Royal Mail has a crippling pension fund deficit and is facing stiff competition from other companies.

"Gordon Brown's dithering will delay the modernisation of the Royal Mail and the introduction of new technology which would make it competitive in the modern world.

"Gordon Brown has lost his authority. After losing the vote on Gurkhas rights and having to backtrack on the Iraq War Inquiry, Gordon Brown is terrified of losing another vote, so he is stalling for time rather than taking decisive action."