by our industrial reporter @TrinderMatt

GARY NEVILLE stressed that he would not trust Boris Johnson to deliver his letters, let alone run the country, as he addressed a union online rally marking National Postal Workers’ Day. 

The former England football star, who has been a vocal critic of the Prime Minister during the Covid-19 pandemic, told the Communication Workers Union (CWU) Twitter event on Monday evening that Mr Johnson was not trustworthy and needed to be removed from office immediately.

The meeting, hosted by CWU general secretary Dave Ward, also heard expressions of solidarity from other union leaders and Labour MPs, including former party chair Ian Lavery.

Mr Neville compared the integrity and trustworthiness of postal workers with Mr Johnson. 

He said: “When I think of Boris Johnson, I wouldn’t want him as my postman, I wouldn’t want him as the teacher of my children, I wouldn’t want him as the carer of a relative, I wouldn’t want him to be somebody who held a position of responsibility in my life.”

The ex-Manchester United right-back slammed the PM as a deliberately divisive elitist who fails to take responsibility for his numerous mistakes and get the best out of his “team” — the nation.

Mr Neville, who when asked did not rule out entering politics himself at some point, called on Labour to finally “stand up” and be passionate when opposing Mr Johnson.

Party leader Sir Keir Starmer is yet to call on the PM to resign over alleged breaches of lockdown rules in the run-up to Christmas last year, despite describing him as “unfit for office.”

“Workers in this country at every single level are being let down by this government,” Mr Neville added. “I’m furious, I’m angry.”

Mr Ward thanked postal workers for showing that they are “part of the social fabric” of the country by helping to keep communities connected during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“We’re proud of what our members do every single day of the week,” he stressed. “We’re proud of the role they play in being a major contributor to the economy, but also that wider social role.”

Universities union UCU general secretary Jo Grady joined Mr Lavery in praising the dedication of postal staff across the country, while Bakers’ Union head Sarah Woolley recalled how conversations with her postie had helped to get her through lockdown.