Ofcom investigates Royal Mail as 24.3% of first-class mail arrives late
The postal regulator Ofcom has launched an investigation into Royal Mail after the company missed its annual delivery targets again. Royal Mail reported that 24.3% of first-class mail failed to arrive on time in the year to the end of March, worsening from 23.5% the previous year. Ofcom’s target requires 93% of first-class mail to be delivered within one working day, excluding Christmas. For second-class mail, Royal Mail delivered 90.2% within the three-working-day limit, far short of the 98.5% target. The investigation will consider whether Royal Mail prioritises parcel delivery over letters, an allegation made by whistleblowers and unions that the company denies. Royal Mail has not met its first-class delivery target since 2017 and missed second-class targets since 2020. The company was fined £21m by Ofcom in October for previous missed targets.
What’s reported
Ofcom launched an investigation into Royal Mail for missing delivery targets.
24.3% of first-class mail failed to arrive on time in the year to March.
Performance worsened from 23.5% the previous year.
Ofcom target: 93% of first-class within one working day (excluding Christmas).
Second-class: 90.2% delivered within three working days vs. target of 98.5%.
Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21m in October for missing annual delivery targets.
Investigation will examine whether Royal Mail prioritises parcel delivery over letters, an allegation made by whistleblowers and unions and denied by the company.
Royal Mail has not hit first-class target since 2017 or second-class target since 2020.
In April 2026, first-class stamp price rose by 10p to £1.80; second-class by 4p to 91p.
Stamp costs have more than doubled since 2020.
Last July, Ofcom allowed Royal Mail’s owner IDS to loosen universal service obligations, ending Saturday second-class delivery.
Letter volumes dropped from 20bn a decade ago to 6.7bn, projected to fall to 4bn; addresses served rose by 4m.
Royal Mail spokesperson said the company will engage fully with Ofcom and that improving service quality is a top priority.
Conflicting accounts
The article reports that whistleblowers and unions have alleged Royal Mail prioritises parcel delivery over letters, a practice the company denies.
Open questions
The outcome of the Ofcom investigation and any potential financial penalty have not been determined.
Key figures
Daniel Křetínský (Czech billionaire, completed £3.6bn purchase of Royal Mail’s owner IDS)
Ofcom (postal regulator)
Royal Mail (delivery company)
International Distribution Services (IDS, owner of Royal Mail)
Whistleblowers and unions (unnamed collective)
Sources: The Guardian
