THE number of Labour MPs opposing their own government’s plans to close some 2,500 sub-post offices has risen to 90, according to research by the Tory party – and only half of the proposed branches to be axed have yet been named.

As we reported yesterday (see News), the Conservatives are accusing ministers of hypocrisy in voting for the closures in cabinet – but then joining local protest groups when they discovered that branches in their own constituencies were at risk.

The government has also been accused of blackmail by saying that sub-post office owners will not be entitled to compensation when stripped of their Royal Mail licence if, as private shops, they continue to provide services which compete with the surviving PO branches.

The Tories piled on even more pressure yesterday by revealing that some 90 MPs were fighting to protect their own local branches, including 20 ministers. And t his figure could soar even higher with the disclosure of hundreds more branches on the government hit-list.

Gordon Brown claims that the closures are necessary to save some £200 million a year. This week, at a time of international financial crisis, the price of gold passed the $1000 an ounce for the first time ever. As Chancellor, Brown sold off most of the UK’s gold reserves at a quarter of that price, costing the economy billions of pounds.