Privatisation of Royal Mail officially launched

Published December 05, 2015

A postman empties a Royal Mail post box in London on July 10, 2013. Part sale of Royal Mail could be worth up to ??3.0 billion ($4.74 billion, 3.57 billion euros), reports say. The government previously said that it would take on Royal Mail's historic pension deficit. (AFP/File)

The government on Thursday officially launched plans to privatise more than half of Royal Mail, saying an initial sale of shares in the state-run postal service would occur within weeks.

"Her Majesty's Government today announces its intention to proceed with an initial public offering of Royal Mail," said a joint statement, which added that the IPO was "expected to take place in the coming weeks".

Business Secretary Vince Cable earlier revealed plans to allow members of the public to buy shares in the postal service with 10 percent of stocks set aside for Royal Mail employees.

The government insists the sale is essential for the survival of the service.

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