Conservative leader William Hague today urged sub-postmasters to march on London for a rally against the threat to their businesses.

Mr Hague, MP for Richmond, was presented at Westminster with a petition signed by nearly 40,000 North Yorkshire residents calling on the Government to ditch plans to transfer payment of benefits and pensions from post offices to bank accounts.

MPs have warned thousands of rural post offices could close because they rely on transaction fees for the payments and spin-off trade from claimants.

The National Federation of Sub-Post Masters is holding a rally on April 12 at Westminster to step up its campaign against the Government's plans.

Mr Hague said: "I hope everybody will support this campaign and I'm delighted that so many people signed the petition."

Ryedale Tory MP John Greenway stressed up to half the 18,000 sub-post offices in the country could close.

Ministers have pledged that people will still be able to get their benefits in cash at post offices, some of which could be subsidised.

But the benefits will be paid into bank, or another simple form of account being developed.

Three thousand cash machines are being installed in post offices.

Vale of York Conservative MP Anne McIntosh presented the petitions to the Commons last night.

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