Royal Mail refuses to release Brexit stamp
December 11, 2017
Conservative Brexiteers attacked Britain's Royal Mail postal service on Monday following reports in the press that it would not release a stamp commemorating the country's departure from the European Union, scheduled for March 2019.
Pro-Brexit Conservative ministers were quick to accuse the postal service of hypocrisy, saying that it had released a series of stamps celebrating Britain's accession to the European Community back in 1973.
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Speaking to the British press, David Jones, a former minister in Britain's Exiting the EU Department and a Conservative for Clwyd West, described the Royal Mail's decision as "outrageous," and said that he would write to the UK Business Secretary Sajid Javid, who has oversight over the postal service, to complain.
"The Royal Mail has an absolute obligation to recognize a new chapter in the history of this country," Jones said. "It was a sufficiently important issue to attract the votes of 17.2 million people— and as a matter of simple respect, the Royal Mail should be ensuring the occasion is properly marked."
Conservative MP for Wellingborough and Brexit supporter, Peter Bone, said that the Royal Mail was "part of the establishment" displaying a "bias against Brexit."
Royal Mail to explain itself
Meanwhile, Ian Liddell-Grainger, a Tory member of the Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy committee, which has oversight of the Royal Mail, told Britain's Daily Express newspaper that he would ensure postal service's managers are questioned about their decision when they appear before the committee next year.
"The Royal Mail should print stamps. It is historic — whether they like it or not," said Liddell-Grainger. "The British people voted very clearly to leave the European Union in just over two years' time. Therefore the Royal Mail should mark that. It would be very strange if Royal Mail that does do very good first day covers does not do this. It is of historical importance to the United Kingdom."
The Royal Mail has released thousands of commemorative stamps in recent memory to mark national events and UK pop culture — from the Olympics and the Royal Wedding, to Harry Potter and the Beatles.
The Royal Mail also released a small series of stamps in 1973 to mark the UK joining the European Economic Community, the precursor to the European Union.
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