Gloucester MP Richard Graham says the proposed move of the city's main Post Office to WH Smith will result in better services.

There have been protests over the proposal to transfer Crown Post Office services around the corner to the WH Smith store in 2019.

Mr Graham said he had discussed the proposal with the Post Office but it was important to scrutinise the detail further.

The former chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Post Office Group, Mr Graham said: "I know many constituents have concerns, not least because of scaremongering by Labour claiming the Post Office is closing - conveniently forgetting that it's simply transferring about 50 yards away into WH Smith.

"This franchise agreement has already happened in many cities all around the country. This Post Office will re-open in a new setting the day after the old one closes, and be open for longer hours, while retaining the same staff on exactly the same conditions and offering more related services."

The MP said WHSmith would have to provide a decent space under Post Office Ltd supervision, training and security measures, be accessible to those with disabilities and mobility scooters, and hold a six week consultation in February 2019 on the details, with a one day Customer Forum during that time in the city centre.

"That's an important opportunity for anyone to flag up specific concerns, and the results will be shared in late March / early April," he said.

Mr Graham said the approach the Post Office has been following since 2012, has helped shift the Crown branch estate from making an annual £50 million loss to breaking even now.

He added: "It's worth noting there are now more than 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK, and the network is at its most stable for decades. More than 4,300 branches are now open on Sundays, with nearly 1 million additional opening hours to be added to the network every month. I hope we'll see similar benefits from our newly sited Post Office in time. Meanwhile please do answer the consultation and go to the free Customer Forum."

But Labour's Parliamentary candidate for Gloucester, Fran Boait, says it wants to end the closure of Crown Post Office branches, which play a major role in serving their communities.

Labour says it also wants to set up a commission to establish a Post Bank, owned by the Post Office and providing a full range of banking services in every community.