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  • Mandelson creates Royal Mail storm

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Mandelson creates Royal Mail storm

Lord Mandelson is being grilled by MPs for the first time since his Cabinet comeback, with the economy firmly on the agenda. Facing questions from the business select committee, he heightened speculation he backs part-privatisation of the Royal Mail. The Business Secretary said he was "not alarmed" by report that his 1998 proposal to allow private sector stakes in the state-owned postal firm would have become law if he had remained in the Government. He admitted the story came from him and said: "As it was a rather casual conversation unwitnessed and unrecorded by anyone from my office I'm afraid I can only rely on my own recollection of what I said. "But I didn't find the report in the Financial Times alarming in any way. It just wasn't based on an interview given there and then." The story created alarm among trade unionists and some Labour MPs who oppose any privatisation of the Royal Mail.

ITN | October 21, 2008Watch more videos from ITN

Tags:. .unionists. .unrecorded. .interview. .business. .being









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