London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Royal Mail referred to regulator over 'systemic letter delivery failures'

Royal Mail referred to regulator over 'systemic letter delivery failures'

The company denies that it misled MPs as a parliamentary committee releases a damning report on the performance of Royal Mail and its management.
Royal Mail has been referred to the industry regulator by a committee of MPs which has accused the company of failing in its duty to deliver letters six days a week and questioned whether its management is negligent.

The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee declared that the company had "systematically failed to deliver" the universal service obligation for letters, finding that it had prioritised more lucrative parcels instead.

It said it had asked Ofcom, which has the power to impose penalties, to open an enforcement investigation following the publication of its report into activities at Royal Mail.

The committee also took aim at chief executive Simon Thompson, who was recalled to give evidence a second time during the course of its probe after an outcry among postal workers about the accuracy of his original testimony.

The report accused him of being "not wholly accurate" in answers he gave them on the use of technology to track and discipline workers, following numerous complaints on the issue raised by staff.

"Royal Mail denied having any knowledge of the tracking of postal workers using technology and said evidence of this practice, and of managers disciplining postal workers using such data, was due to non-compliance with Royal Mail policy," the committee said.

The MPs determined that they "did not believe that such widespread errors could happen without direct or indirect approval of management" and asked the company's board to review the situation on the grounds of "negligence" if they knew nothing about the practices.

The report also called on the information commissioner to check the legal basis for the collection and use of this data.

The MPs inquiry took place against the backdrop of a bitter industrial dispute involving 112,000 Communication Workers' Union (CWU) members at Royal Mail over pay and the company's modernisation plans.

There has been limited progress in talks to avert further strike action which crippled deliveries in the run-up to the company's core Christmas season - piling more pressure on Mr Thompson.

Committee chairman Darren Jones said: "I find it hard to believe that such widespread breaches of company policy and legal obligations are down to a national network of rogue workers conspiring against management at Royal Mail.

"We were inundated with evidence from postal workers challenging the accuracy of answers given by Royal Mail CEO Simon Thompson.

"Frankly, the failures in company policy which Mr Thompson has admitted to can only be due to either an unacceptable level of incompetence or an unacceptable level of cluelessness about what is happening at Royal Mail.

"Hiding behind the pandemic as a driving factor in failures at Royal Mail does not cut it."

The MPs, however, did express concern over the company's expanding losses - with £200m blamed on strikes to date alone.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "Royal Mail is proud to deliver the universal service, and our policies are clear that parcels and letters should be treated with equal importance.

"We have informed the committee that we will be reviewing the consistent application of our policies regarding the delivery of letters and parcels across the business.

"We will share our findings with the committee and Ofcom. We have asked the committee to share the material they have received, and reiterate again our request for them to do that at the earliest opportunity so it can help inform that review.

"Royal Mail answered in detail the questions asked by the committee - in person and in correspondence - about the company's performance, finances and service delivery.

"We reject the suggestion that Royal Mail may have misled the BEIS Select Committee in that process."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Politic is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
×