Budget-slashing ‘Prince of Darkness’ to rule Post Office

A FORMER lieutenant to London Mayor Boris Johnson with a reputation for cost-cutting has been named as chairman of the Post Office.

Tim Parker, current chairman of Samsonite and the National Trust, earned the nickname the ‘Prince of Darkness’ for his enthusiasm for budget tightening. He was given the malevolent title by the GMB Union after one incident while boss of the AA where he turned up to work in a Porsche to sack a group of factory workers.

Parker, pictured, will join the postal network giant in October, taking over from Alice Perkins, who leaves this month.

The Government has pledged to maintain 3,000 rural branches, despite having to make cuts in the company’s budget.

The organisation is also facing the decline of its core business, with more services moving online. Business minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe said Parker would lead a massive overhaul of the company that will ‘see the Post Office achieving further central cost efficiencies, increasing its revenues and undertaking the largest modernisation of the branch network in its history’.

She added: ‘The Government is supporting the Post Office to modernise and become a successful commercial organisation, reducing its reliance on taxpayer subsidy.’

Royal Mail, which was split out from the Post Office before being privatised two years ago, went through a similar process before it was sold.

The company’s finances were only transformed after costslashing Canadian Moya Greene was appointed to be its chief executive. Parker has held a variety of corporate roles, including being boss of shoemaker Clarks, car maintenance firm Kwik-Fit and the AA. He also served as Boris Johnson’s first deputy in the Mayor of London’s office.

Parker yesterday said: ‘The Post Office provides a vital service to many people in over 11,500 locations up and down the country, and is one of Britain’s most trusted brands.’