Moves to part-privatise the Royal Mail were last night condemned by Bradford’s Labour MPs as they formed part of the biggest backbench revolt Gordon Brown has faced as Prime Minister.

Bradford West MP Marsha Singh, Bradford North MP Terry Rooney, Keighley MP Ann Cryer, along with Pudsey MP Paul Truswell, Batley and Spen MP Mike Wood and Calder Valley’s Chris McCafferty fear that allowing a private company to take a minority stake in the organisation could lead to job losses, higher prices for consumers and less frequent mail deliveries.

The MPs are among 71 Labour MPs calling on the Government to reject a recommendation from an independent adviser that Royal Mail should forge a strategic minority partnership with a private company.

The Government has argued bringing in a private partner would provide the Royal Mail with the resources and expertise it needs for modernisation to withstand competition in the global market while maintaining its service.

Dutch company TNT is rumoured to be interested in bidding for a stake in the Royal Mail. But Mrs Cryer warned: If it goes to a Dutch company we cannot control it and I fear there will be higher prices – the company will be concerned about profits, not about the impact it will have on poorer customers or those in rural areas in Britain.”

Mr Rooney said: The cost of postage stamps has gone up by 40 per cent in the last five years and in that period 60,000 jobs have gone from Royal Mail. If we bring in the private-sector partner they will want a dividend, which will mean taking money out, which will mean more redundancies. It is economic madness.”

Mr Singh said: Royal Mail should stay in public ownership. We have seen the consequences of privatisation on other industries, for example energy companies and water, where we cannot control prices.”

The MPs have signed an early day motion warning that selling a minority stake in the postal group would risk fracturing the service.