Royal Mail executives appear before the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee on 24 March 2026, following weeks of reports of late or missing letters and concerns that letter deliveries are being deprioritised relative to parcels. MPs will also take evidence from Ofcom and the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) on service performance and the company’s plans to improve reliability. (committees.parliament.uk)
Postal workers interviewed by the BBC alleged that managers have instructed staff to “take the mail for a ride” - moving undelivered letters so delivery frames look clear during inspections - claims Royal Mail rejects as not reflecting how its operations work and says it would investigate if raised. The allegations have intensified public scrutiny of whether local practices are masking shortfalls rather than fixing them.
Royal Mail points to an overall measure indicating around 92% of letters are delivered on time, but Committee analysis highlights that this headline figure conceals persistent under‑performance in First Class: approximately three‑quarters of First Class letters have arrived on time so far this year, against a higher regulatory target. (committees.parliament.uk)
Regulatory obligations remain clear. Ofcom’s 10 July 2025 statement confirmed that First Class letters must continue to be delivered six days a week, while Second Class letters may now be delivered on alternate weekdays (Monday to Friday). The regulator also reset quality‑of‑service thresholds to 90% for First Class next‑day delivery and 95% for Second Class within three working days, and introduced ‘tail of mail’ backstops requiring 99% of First Class items to arrive within three working days and 99% of Second Class within five. (ofcom.org.uk)
Against those standards, Ofcom’s latest monitoring shows Royal Mail missed the 2024–25 targets by a wide margin, with First Class at 77% versus a 93% requirement and Second Class at 92.5% versus 98.5%. Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21m in October 2025 for failing to meet its First and Second Class targets and has warned further penalties are likely without a credible plan to restore performance. (ofcom.org.uk)
The Committee launched its session after estimating that roughly 219 million letters were delivered late over the year and recording concerns from the public about missed medical appointments and official notices. Royal Mail told MPs it does not capture specific data on instances where letters are deprioritised for parcels, complicating external scrutiny of practice on the ground. (committees.parliament.uk)
The CWU argues that delivery failures are rooted in under‑resourcing and job design, contributing to a recruitment and retention problem. In its formal response to Ofcom’s consultation, the union opposed reductions to the universal service and urged that workload achievability and staffing stability be central to any change, rather than cost‑savings alone. (ofcom.org.uk)
Royal Mail’s ‘optimised delivery model’ is being piloted in selected areas. Ofcom notes the national roll‑out has not progressed beyond pilots pending agreement with the CWU, while the union has said it will judge the model on whether quality targets can be met without overloading rounds and harming morale. (ofcom.org.uk)
MPs are also set to test undertakings made during last year’s EP Group takeover that the “one‑price‑goes‑anywhere” principle would be maintained. How Royal Mail evidences day‑to‑day performance - including new backstop measures - and assures Parliament that Second Class alternate‑weekday deliveries will not produce prolonged delays will be central to the session. (committees.parliament.uk)
For users, the operational change is immediate but specific: Second Class letters are no longer a six‑day service and are delivered on alternate weekdays; First Class letters, and parcels within the universal service, continue six days. The emphasis now shifts to reliability, with Ofcom’s new backstops designed to capture and deter long delays even when headline “on‑time” metrics are met. (ofcom.org.uk)