£1 first-class stamp ‘may be near’

Save Our Royal Mail, set up by groups representing the countryside, the elderly, small firms and the blind, urged the Government not to “rush headlong” into a sell-off.

A £1 first class stamp might not be far off if prices were no longer regulated and become eligible for VAT, said the group.

The campaigners also warned that free postal services for the blind would be under threat, a freepost service to British forces could be scrapped and the Royal Mail’s iconic red coloured pillar boxes could be lost.

Campaign Director Mario Dunn said: “Save Our Royal Mail is a broad based and growing campaign.

“We want to take our message to the politicians – do not rush headlong into a sell-off if you cannot guarantee a privatised Royal Mail will constrain its prices and provide these services at their current level.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Stamp prices, whether set under public or private ownership, are subject to significant competitive pressures.

“Customers have many alternatives to the post and there are now many postal providers. It is pure speculation to suggest that stamp prices could reach £1 in the next few years.”