A ministerial aide has quit in protest at Government plans to partly privatise the Royal Mail.
Jim McGovern resigned from his position as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Business Minister Pat McFadden.
The Dundee West MP said: "I believe a PPS has to be fully supportive of proposals of the department which they serve. In this case, I do not support what looks to me like partial privatisation of the Royal Mail.
"In his statement Pat McFadden said he welcomed an expression of interest from the Dutch postal company TNT.
"For me, it simply beggars belief that we would employ the services of a company from abroad to tell the Royal Mail in this country where they are going wrong."
A number of backbench Labour MPs have attacked the Government's move to inject private capital into the Royal Mail and have pledged to fight the plan.
The Government announcement on Tuesday followed publication of a long-awaited report into the future of Royal Mail, which called for "radical" action to secure its future.
