The Government said today that the proposed closure of 1,500 post offices will go ahead despite seeing its majority reduced to 20 in the Commons last night on a Tory demand for the programme to be suspended.

But Post Offices minister Pat McFadden stressed consultation would continue over precisely where the axe would fall. Shropshire MPs voted entirely along party lines in last night’s votes, with Tory and Liberal Democrat members voting for suspension of the closures.

Labour MPs backed the Government’s position.

Tory MP Mark Pritchard said that seven cabinet ministers were campaigning against the closure of post offices in their own constituencies.

The Wrekin MP called for an undertaking from Business Secretary John Hutton they would not be given “special access” to him or to officials in his department, and that all MPs would be given equal access.

Mr Hutton said it would be “an outrage” if cabinet ministers could not make representations on behalf of constituents, but he said it would be “quite wrong” for them to have special access, and none had been sought.

Mr McFadden said MPs had been asked to take part in the consultation process about which post offices should close.

“What cabinet ministers are saying is not that there should not be any post office closures in their constituencies. They are saying they have been asked to take part in the consultation and they are quite properly doing that as local MPs,” said the Wolverhampton South East MP.

Wolverhampton South West MP Rob Marris said the Conservatives had simply called for a moratorium “because they do not have a policy”.

The Labour MP added: “They are not fit for government and they do not want to take tough decisions.”

Nineteen Labour rebels voted with the Conservatives last night, cutting the Government’s majority by two thirds.

Rebel MP John McDonnell said: “The Government has always underestimated the strength of anger on the Labour backbenches against the privatisation and cuts in this essential public service.”

Shadow business secretary Alan Duncan said the “astonishing” vote showed his party had won the argument.

“It’s astonishing that it was only a majority of 20.

“The power of argument has overcome the power of their whips,” he said.