by Our News Desk

GEORGE OSBORNE faced ridicule yesterday after he claimed to have “returned” Royal Mail to the private sector — despite it being in public ownership since the reign of Charles II.

The Chancellor took to Twitter to laud the selling of the final 13 per cent stake — netting the government just £591 million for the sale of vital national infrastructure.

Mr Osborne claimed that depriving the public of the crucial service was the “right thing to do for Royal Mail workforce, customers and the taxpayer.”

Postal workers strenuously disagreed with the Tory axeman, with Communication Workers Union general secretary Dave Ward branding the sale “the clearest possible indicator of the Tories’ true colours.

“A week ago (Labour leader) Jeremy Corbyn spoke to thousands of people calling on the government to protect the People’s Post at the CWU’s rally in Manchester — today the government has announced they are selling the final public stake in Royal Mail to their friends in the City.”

Business Secretary Sajid Javid bragged about “a truly historic day for Royal Mail with the workers gaining a share of this history” — referring to a measly 1 per cent payout.

Ignoring the records of other privatised industries that have put up prices, slashed services and attacked working conditions, Mr Javid hailed the sale as “a win all round” — slaughtering the goose that lays the golden eggs for a one-day £3.3 billion fry-up.

But Mr Ward was clear: “This fire-sale nails the lie that the Tories stand up for the interests of ordinary people.

“By their actions today they have made it abundantly clear that they are only interested in privatisation dogma and making the rich richer — even when their actions place public services at risk.”

“The Tories have instead chosen an ideological course that puts the fundamental ethos of a centuries-old national institution in jeopardy.”

Labour shadow business secretary Angela Eagle said: “Rather than focusing on their ideological obsession with selling off national assets, the government should be acting in the best interests of the public.

“Labour is clear that these shares should have remained in public ownership in order to safeguard the public’s interest in this important national service.”