A GROWING number of British MPs are signing up to a House of Commons motion expressing concern at "the sudden decision" last month of Cork-based Thomas Crosbie Holdings to close The Irish Post, the longest-surviving newspaper serving the Irish community in Britain.
Forty-five MPs have so far supported the Early Day Motion put down by Welsh Labour MP Chris Ruane.
The Federation of Irish Societies' has called the Post, which closed in August, "the voice of the Irish in Britain".
The signatories include former Labour Northern Ireland minister of state, Paul Goggins and former Labour secretary of state for health, Frank Dobson, along with SDLP MP, Alasdair McDonnell.
During a meeting last night in the House of Commons, the closure was repeatedly criticised by former staff and others, including lawyer, Sinead Mac Lua, whose father, Brendan founded the newspaper.
A meeting of creditors is to be held next week.
The closure means that the value of the title “is decreasing every week”, said Ms Mac Lua, since some of its 19,000 buyers may not be there to be won back if a new buyer is found.
Labour MP for Ealing North Stephen Pound said the greatest thing about the paper was “that it validates the Irish community on this island. This is not an invisible community that is keeping its head down”.
London-based Irish businessman, Andy Rogers pointed to the example offered by the London Irish rugby club, which managed to raise £3 million worth of investments “in just five weeks” over a decade ago to win a place in the top-flight of English rugby.
