Has James Purnell just become a Labour hero?

Oscar

Pete Hoskins - you really are the most outrageous Labour stooge. Rather like Ben Brogan (a mate isn't he?)

Burt

I just heard him outrageously not answering questions on PM. Seems like just another slippery, lying labour toad to me.

Pat

3000 jobs saved by the Government that was intent on loosing them by closing down the Post Offices.

Purnells explanation on BBC1 and on Radio 4 this evening was dreadful and his slippery answers even had Mathew and Eddie cringing.

Its a bit like arsonist Gordon setting fire to the economy, calling the Fire Brigade and then claiming to have saved us all. How many schools, nurses, policemen and social workers could have been employed/saved with the money wasted on this worthless exercise and the compensation that will be paid to the spurned bidders.

Oor Willie

Labour's line has been that POs must close because they're costing £200 million to keep open. They will still be closing them so it's hardly a great coup to say that they're not going to land a death blow on even more.
Money wasted on putting the contract out to tender but they won't say how much!
Pathetic, not praisewothy.

mac

A curious post.

This was a u-turn from a privatisation exercise that undoubtedly cost a packet. Craig can dress it up as 'triumph' if he must, but why on earth have you repeated it here sans critique?

The Dandiprat

Keeping Post Offices from closure - it gets more radical by the hour.

David

So hang on. Purnell announces that the government aren't going to continue with an incredibly unpopular policy because it proved to be incredibly unpopular. He then feigns sympathy for the case that had been put to the government all along, and suddenly he's the best thing since well... ever? Come on.

Coeur de Lion

How come Labour can claim credit for solving something they created - it's like the 10p tax disaster. Did you hear Eddie Mair on PM@5PM asking over and over how much this U-turn has cost the taxpayer and what the contract cancellation costs were? Purnell's rather pompous evasions were grotesque.
"It's commercial in confidence etc etc" - my a**e

Merda taurorum animas conturbit

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Purnell's announcement that the Government will award the card contract to Post Office Ltd without competitive tendering tantamount to sticking two fingers up to the EU?

Ken from Glos

Merda whatever.

You are so right about that! Read about it on E.U Referndum

The Laughing Cavalier

There are some natural monopolies and the Post office is one. Taking business away from Post Offices in the name of dogma and giving it to Payment Centres has proven to be a nightmare for users.

John Moss

Keeping the POCA with the PO has been a central plank of Tory policy on Post Offices for about 18 months.

Another example of Labour stealoing a Tory policy

JONNY

Oh my God he approacheth.
Another weak-faced cherubic slightly camp hyper-conceited over-promoted New Labour Fancy Boy.
What's going on Peter Hoskin?

Nicholas

Don't like him and if this is an example of what passes for "heroic" in New Labour's Britain our standards really have declined.

Just trying to imagine Purnell entering a room with Bevin, Attlee, Churchill, Eden & Macmillan talking politics. They would probably think he had come in to close the curtains and take the drinks orders.

Kev G

"A new Labour hero, rather than a New Labour hero? Perhaps."

Then again, perhaps not.

A horny handed some of toil and unity candidate?

An entrepreneur who has risked being withered and scorched in the noonday heat of the free market economy?

Or another little PPE-ist on the make, risen meteriocally as Blair's bag carrier, a policy wonk and a BBC parasite?

Also see under: Hutton Report; copy signed by Alastair Campbell; auction thereof.

Really, Mr Hoskin, I sometimes wonder whether political journalists are trying to make me laugh or cry.

Toodle pip

David Lindsay

Be not deceived.

He has just gritted his teeth and launched his bid for the Leadership and Premiership. That's all.

Don't be taken in by his apparent conversion to something as conservative and Socialist as the Post Office. The closures would be happening if he were already Prime Minister.

The same goes for the Milibands, for Burnham, for Hutton, for Milburn, for Byers, for Mandelson, for all that mob.

In the next Parliament (when Purnell is guaranteed his current job regardless of who has won the Election, and will even keep the Labour Whip while serving under Cameron), they plan the reduction of the NHS to a pure commissioner of services, the introduction of school vouchers while even state schools are permitted to charge absolutely any fees they like (far beyond the value of any voucher), war against Iran and Russia, and the complete abolition of public transport, local government and social housing. Among many other delights, of course.

They must be stopped.

But they won't and can't be stopped by Cameron, of course.