Labour MPs Sadiq Khan and Martin Linton have been slammed as hypocrites after they voted for the closure of post offices to go ahead - despite campaigning to keep their local branches open.
A Conservative motion to suspend the post office closure programme was narrowly rejected last night by 288 votes to 268. Early indications were that 20 Labour MPs revolted and joined the motion. Mr Khan and Mr Linton were not among them.
After voting for the closures to go ahead Mr Khan came straight to a public meeting in Tooting High Street where he was whistled and clapped by constituents.
One said: "What hypocrisy! He could have voted against it. He could even have resigned from the Government. But it was Sadiq's career or the wants of the people and that was his choice."
Mr Khan, who was promoted to Government whip last year, said the Conservative motion was flawed.
"There was no plan as to what to do after the suspension in terms of time limit or the costs," he said. "I don't want to play party politics."
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He said he had voted for another motion put by Labour MP Kate Hoey which called for the government to support those post offices by offering additional funding and a greater role in local and national Government.
Martin Linton said: "I'm against the Battersea closures, but I'm not against any closure.
"There are 800 post offices in this country which get fewer than 16 customers a week. The post office in Battersea Park Road gets over a thousand a week. It's very popular.
"I'm hoping that the post offices in Battersea will be reprieved. They certainly ought to be."
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