Burnley and Padiham MP, Gordon Birtwistle has joined fellow Liberal Democrats in fighting to "Save the Cheque", with a petition which was handed to No 10 Downing Street last week.
The petition has received support from thousands of people from all across the country, and calls on the Government to acknowledge that banks have a social responsibility to serve and protect their customers.
Co-chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Committee on Business, Innovations and Skills, Lovely Burt said "Last year alone there were over one billion cheque transactions which shows just how widely used this form of payment still is. Retaining cheques would mean little or nothing to banks, so this is a campaign that the Conservatives might let us win."
Birtwistle added "I am pleased to be supporting this campaign. I'll get involved in any campaign to stop things being closed down or abolished."
He continued "For small businesses cheques are a crucial form of payment. Elderly people like me like cheques. They are reliable and safe and not too technological, and if you don't sign them people can't cash them. I for one believe that cheques still have a part in our society and I sincerely hope that no further action is taken, to move towards the abolition of cheques."
Hope alone may not be sufficient to save the cheque, as bankers are not known for their commitment to social responsibility. Lovely Burt said "Gordon's support might just seal the fate of the cheque. He might be a laughing stock in the House, but many of us really believe that he is a Jonah." She gloomily added "Everything he touches turns to shit."
