The SNP's Glasgow Central candidate Osama Saeed has expressed his deep concern that the UK Government is considering the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Lord Mandelson this week appeared before a House of Commons committee and very noticeably did not explicitly deny his support for privatisation when quizzed by MPs.

Osama Saeed has been a long-time supporter of postal services. He opposed the recent closure of post offices in the constituency including the services in Govanhill, the High Street and Anderston. This was in contrast to the Labour MP for the constituency, Mohammad Sarwar, who voted in the House of Commons for the closures to take place.

Saeed is also a strong supporter of the Universal Service Obligation that underpins Royal Mail's services.

Commenting on the suggestion of privatisation Osama Saeed said: "We have just witnessed a massive bail out of banks. New finance for business has all but dried up yet Lord Mandelson appears to be considering the privatisation of Royal Mail. This is complete lunacy.

"Privatisation of Royal Mail would be a complete disaster, as it would almost certainly lead to a downgrading of the universal service obligation."

"While Mandelson appears to be looking at privatisation, communities across Glasgow have just suffered a round of closures despite very strong local opposition. The whole process is deeply flawed.

"Worse may be around the corner with reports that the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) may give the contract for the Post Office Card Account (POCA) to another provider.

"The DWP caused the present crisis by transferring payments from the Post Office cutting a massive amount of business overnight. It would be the ultimate betrayal if they now twist the knife further by taking away the POCA which has proved very popular."

"The Government should be developing a positive policy and agenda for Postal Services rather than constantly undermining them."