A ROW has broken out between two North Yorkshire MPs over the threat to post offices posed by changes in the way state benefits are paid.

Ryedale MP John Greenway claimed Liberal Democrat MPs joined Labour in the House of Commons to vote down a Conservative motion calling for the Government to scrap plans to pay most pensions and benefits directly into bank accounts rather than at post offices.

But Phil Willis, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, hit back, saying any suggestion that his party supported the Government over post offices was "rubbish".

Mr Greenway helped present more than 1,000 Counter Attack coupons from Evening Press readers to Downing Street last week as part of our campaign aimed at changing the Government's mind over its plans.

He said: "On the very day when I helped to present the Evening Press petition to 10 Downing Street, and more than 1,000 sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses came to Parliament to express their concerns about the future of the post office network, you would have thought the Liberal Democrats would, for once, have put aside their hostility to the Conservative Party and reflect the concerns of voters.

"People should know that not only did the Liberal Democrats vote with the Government against a motion designed to save our local post offices, but only three of their MPs bothered to turn up for the debate."

But Mr Willis countered: "We voted against the Conservative motion because it 'applauds the determination of the last Conservative Government to maintain a national network of post offices'. This is clearly complete nonsense."

He added: "We did vote against the Conservative motion but we also voted against Labour's motion. Any suggestion that we supported the Government over post offices is therefore rubbish.

"The Conservatives have also claimed that only three Lib Dems attended the debate. This is simply wrong. As the voting record shows, 35 Liberal Democrat MPs were present and voted.

"The figure of 11 Liberal Democrat MPs not voting compares to 21 absent Conservative MPs, not including the two tellers and two deputy Speakers, on a Conservative opposition day."