Osama Saeed, SNP Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Glasgow Central, has welcomed the UK Government's announcement of its intention to delay the partial privatisation of Royal Mail.

Commenting on the announcement, Mr Saeed said: "This u-turn from the Labour government is not only the only realistic option given current business conditions, it is a long-overdue acknowledgement of the fact that many people, including the staff of Royal Mail, the people who use the service, and many of Labour's own backbenchers strongly opposed the plan.

"Privatisation of Royal Mail could have led to a new round of post office closures, higher prices, and the cutting of essential services for the UK economy and our communities.

"It is astonishing that Labour so frequently resorts to sell-offs to raise money in order to find relief from a budget situation of its own making. Over the years, unregulated privatisation schemes have generally led to higher prices and greater inefficiency for consumers.

"I am disappointed that Glasgow Central's MP Mohammed Sarwar has been silent throughout the months that the Government has been considering the selloff.. Instead of joining fellow Labour MPs and providing evidence of the damage the selloff could cause in Glasgow neighbourhoods, through his silence Sarwar has shown his allegiance to the New Labour approach of rampant privatisation.

"I urge Lord Mandelson and the UK Government to permanently scuttle the Royal Mail privatisation plan and to consider other strategies, such as cutting the massively bloated defence budget, for raising cash."