David Cameron: Post offices can survive

Speaking to the Birmingham Mail, David Cameron has attacked the government's closure of post offices that could become profitable. The newspaper reports fifty branches will be axed in Birmingham, Warwickshire and Solihull, with another 69 under threat in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

"Challenged to promise that a Tory Government would prevent post office closures, Mr Cameron said he would make it easier for them to make a profit and stay open, for example by helping them to provide services to rival mail delivery services and not just the Royal Mail.

“We want to see them compete in more areas.

“For instance, allowing them to take different traffic from different parcel firms. I think that would make a difference.

“I think also we need an urgent renewal of the post office card account, and we’ve said that we would do that.

“We also have a situation where if post offices can prove they can make themselves work then they shouldn’t be part of a closure programme. It does seem that the closure programme is very automatic, and doesn’t actually take into account the potential profitability of the post office.”