POLITICIANS will today get their first chance to vote in Parliament on controversial plans to shut down Oxfordshire post offices.

The Conservatives are seeking support for a Commons motion calling on the Government to "suspend" its programme of 2,500 compulsory closures nationwide - including 22 in Oxfordshire - and look for ways to invest in the network to make it financially viable.

The party published a document naming dozens of Labour MPs, including Oxford East MP Andrew Smith, who have campaigned against post office closures in their constituencies, and challenged them to join the opposition and support the motion.

Shadow Post Offices Minister Charles Hendry said: "The closure programme is now completely discredited and this is the last chance for MPs to vote to suspend it. People will simply not understand if their MPs have said one thing to them locally, but then fail to support them when they have the chance in this vote in Parliament."

Mr Smith dismissed the Tory motion as an excuse for "party point scoring".

He said: "The important thing is that we all get behind our post offices, regardless of party politics.

"This is a solely Conservative motion, because it is their opposition day for Parliamentary debates, and I would expect to see an amendment go down from Labour, and probably the Liberal Democrats too.

"I strongly support the post offices under threat, especially Grandpont and Iffley Village in my constituency, and I have no doubt the overwhelming majority of other MPs feel the same, regardless of the party point scoring which these debates tend to generate."