Performance of Royal Mail

Luke Murphy Excerpts

Monday 26th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Luke Murphy (Basingstoke) (Lab)]

I congratulate my hon. Friends the Members for Redditch (Chris Bloore) and for Lichfield (Dave Robertson) on securing the debate and on their valiant campaigning in this area. Since my election, constituents across Basingstoke and the villages I represent have contacted me with stories similar to those we have heard from many hon. Members—stories in which residents, businesses and public services have been affected.

One constituent reported no letter deliveries to their road for over two weeks and items not delivered, including, as many others have said, a hospital appointment letter and a credit card. Another constituent reported that some Basingstoke postcodes were experiencing gaps of between 11 days and some weeks between deliveries. Another constituent informed us that they had only received two deliveries in a month, with first-class items taking up to two weeks to arrive. They also raised concerns about Royal Mail’s complaints handling, which we have now raised with Ofcom’s as the regulatory oversight body, alongside those concerns about local delivery delays.

As many other Members have said, this is not a trivial issue. Earlier today, I received an email from a constituent in Oakley, a village that I represent. In his words,

“Residents in the village are not receiving their post in a timely manner—not receiving doctor’s appointments, HMRC tax details, documents from the DVLA about road tax, bank and credit card statements. This is a total disgrace.”

I know that Members across the House agree. Indeed, he highlighted the fact that he recently purchased a new car but had to wait over 10 days because the document he needed was sat in the sorting office.

As many other Members have said, this situation is not the fault of our posties locally or across the country, who work exceptionally hard to get mail out to residents. They see themselves, rightly, as an important public service, and they—more than anyone—want Royal Mail to succeed. It is clear that what constituents in Basingstoke are experiencing is not a mere local blip, but part of a consistent national pattern that includes missed targets on first-class and second-class deliveries, and an estimated 220 million letters delivered late every year, according to Ofcom, which has fined Royal Mail £5.6 million for its performance in 2022-23, £10.5 million for 2023-24 and £21 million for 2024-25—successive years of failure. In June, Ofcom opened a fourth consecutive investigation, this time into performance during 2025-26.

[Kirsty Blackman]

I thank the hon. Member for talking about the statistics—it is really important to do that. I am concerned, though, that the statistics, particularly those provided by Royal Mail, are deeply inaccurate. My constituents say they are not getting mail for three weeks at a time very regularly, but Royal Mail has come back to me and said, “Everything’s pretty fine—don’t worry about it.” Is he concerned that Ofcom might not even know the full breadth of the issue, particularly as we have heard Members from Aberdeen, from the Western Isles and from Devon all raising the same issue? It is clearly happening everywhere.

[Luke Murphy]

Indeed, I was going to say that I would like to see the Government press Ofcom and Royal Mail to deliver much more granular data on delivery targets. That is really important, because the national performance —woeful as it is—does not represent the even worse performance that we are seeing locally. Indeed, Royal Mail has been set lower targets nationally, but it is not even meeting them. And behind these figures and statistics are the streets and lanes, like those in my constituency, where the post simply does not come. Members across this House recognise this; it is a cross-party concern about a service that the whole country depends on. The Communication Workers Union has highlighted this over and again: persistent delivery failures; a growing recruitment and retention crisis; and an unevenly regulated postal market which threatens the future of the universal service that we have heard so many Members speak about so passionately tonight.

Royal Mail has told all of us, I think, that it recognises the problem and is committed and is making promises for change but, frankly, all of us in this House and my constituents have heard these promises before. The test of any plan will not be what it says on paper; it will be whether hospital letters start to arrive before appointments.

I welcome the Government’s clear stance in response. Ministers have told Royal Mail’s leadership that its service has been unacceptable for too long and the pace of improvement must increase. The public deserve a reliable postal service and are right to expect better, and I welcome the Government’s commitment to keep holding Royal Mail to account. I hope the Minister will continue applying that pressure. In particular, I hope she will consider whether Ofcom is currently really up to the job of regulating Royal Mail and look closely at how Royal Mail handles complaints. As many Members have said this evening, our constituents find the way in which it deals with those complaints totally inadequate. The Government must also press for greater transparency on local performance, as we have just discussed, and look seriously at the recommendations of the Business and Trade Committee’s May 2026 report on the regulation of postal services and the proposals, as other Members have mentioned, from the CWU, including on a level playing field for the sector, a new regulatory framework and building on the Government’s golden share.

Royal Mail remains a vital national institution providing an essential universal service. We all have a stake in ensuring it succeeds, not least my constituents in Basingstoke, who have every right to expect better.

--- Later in debate ---

[Bradley Thomas]

We have heard a great deal about nationalisation this evening, but I am pretty sure that my constituents believe the state should not be the actor that, in the first instance, provides the vast majority of services. The state does not have the best track record of providing everything. In this instance, it is incumbent on the Minister and the Government to ensure that Ofcom and Royal Mail are held to account, and that we see a tangible improvement programme.

I know, as well as Members on both sides of the House, that people in north Worcestershire are experiencing comparable problems. Having made that further reference to my constituency neighbour the hon. Member for Redditch, I will cut across north Worcestershire to the other neighbouring constituency, that of my hon. Friend the Member for Wyre Forest (Mark Garnier). People there are experiencing those problems as well—I know that, because I spoke to my hon. Friend today—resulting in financial losses for some of his constituents, and missed appointments as well.

I understand that Royal Mail, along with many other businesses, will be facing pressing issues, including surging bill costs and increased bureaucratic red tape. May I ask the Minister whether the Government have discussed with Royal Mail specifically the impact of soaring bills and employment costs on the company’s ability to deliver services, and, in particular, challenges relating to recruitment? It is clear, however, that, especially in recent years, the business has lost its way, and in the last 18 months that has become particularly acute.

Royal Mail has a rich history. It is a 500-year-old institution, but it has failed to demonstrate an ability to adapt in recent years to society’s changing needs. Royal Mail will undoubtedly press that demand has changed. This evening we have heard many instances of parcels being prioritised over letters, which should not be the case. Over the last decade, we have seen technological advances that have undoubtedly had a significant impact on the way that people and businesses communicate, but the stats for Royal Mail are not in its favour. In 2024-25, first-class post hit a 77% service level against a 93% target, and second-class hit a 92.5% service level against a 98.5% target. That was enough for Ofcom to deem that Royal Mail was in breach of its obligations. In 2025-26, we saw 75.7% of first-class items delivered the next day—short of the 93% target—and 90.2% of second-class items delivered within three days, against a target of 98.5%.

[Luke Murphy]

The shadow Minister points to the figures since 2024-25 and refers specifically to the last 18 months, but Royal Mail was fined £5.6 million in 2023 and nearly double that amount in 2024. Does he not recognise that the Conservative Government failed to grip this issue?

[Bradley Thomas]

What I recognise is that the problem is getting worse. As I have mentioned, it is incumbent on the Government to get a grip of the situation. I hope that the Government have heard loud and clear the concerns from Members across the House, regardless of political party, about what their constituents are facing, and that the Minister will address those concerns shortly.