Category Archives: Royal Mail

Last Christmas, you gave us first class: Royal Mail turns Scrooge with gift to staff of second-class stamps

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Switch comes amid first festive season since Daniel Křetínský’s takeover of parent company IDS

Royal Mail says that it has “delivered Christmas” for more than 500 years, but this year many workers have been left feeling less than festive after the company downgraded a small gift to workers to second class.

The postal service, which traces its history back to the appointment of a “master of the posts” by Henry VIII in 1516, has given workers a collection of 50 Christmas stamps to recognise their work over the busiest time of year. In previous years, including in 2024, workers have received a book of 50 or 100 first-class stamps, but that has quietly been switched to second class this year.

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Royal Mail gets go ahead to axe second-class post on Saturdays

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Deliveries will also alternate on weekdays to reflect changing behaviour of users but critics say regulator has let courier off the hook

Royal Mail has been given the green light to drop Saturday deliveries of second-class letters and provide services only on alternating weekdays from Monday to Friday under new rules announced by the regulator.

Ofcom said that reforms of the universal services obligation (USO) reflected changing behaviour of postal users, with fewer letters being sent across the country. The regulator said it could end up saving the postal delivery service between £250m and £425m each year.

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Green light for £1.2bn ‘bulk mail’ claim against Royal Mail owner to go to trial

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Class action accuses International Distribution Services of abusing ‘dominant position’ in market

A £1.2bn class action claim accusing the owner of Royal Mail of abusing its “dominant position” in the market for sending bulk mail has been given the green light to proceed to trial by UK competition authorities.

Bulk Mail Claim Ltd, a recently formed company representing an estimated 290,000 customers who claim they were overcharged as a result of Royal Mail’s behaviour, has won clearance to proceed with its legal challenge from the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT).

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European Central Bank cuts interest rates to support growth as eurozone economy stagnates – as it happened

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Live coverage of business, economics and financial news as ECB cuts main interest rate by 0.25 percentage points in effort to support European economies

It was a flash reading on the Eurozone economy, so we don’t have the details on what the drivers were. But it’s clear that it was a weak end to 2024.

But the European Central Bank might be able to spur a bit of economic growth in the eurozone with looser monetary policy.

This marks a weak end to last year, following positive growth in the first three quarters of 2024. As a result, first estimates suggest that the currency bloc as a whole grew by 0.7% in 2024. Declining activity in Germany – the Eurozone’s largest economy – has weighed on the bloc’s growth, with German GDP contracting by 0.2% on the quarter. This suggests Germany has now seen annual declines in activity for two consecutive years.

In 2025, further loosening of monetary conditions is expected to provide a modest uptick in activity for both Germany and the Eurozone, with growth expected to amount to 0.3% and 1.0% respectively.

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Royal Mail on track to return to annual profit after strong Christmas

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Owner highlights parcel deliveries performance as £3.6bn takeover by Czech billionaire nears completion

The owner of Royal Mail has said it received a fillip from parcel deliveries over Christmas, putting it on track to return to annual profit, as its £3.6bn takeover by the Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský nears completion.

International Distribution Services (IDS) said Royal Mail delivered more than 99% of items sent on or before the recommended last posting dates in time for Christmas.

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Royal Mail goes ahead with cuts to UK flights despite takeover

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Three more freight flights to go this month as parent company’s CEO Martin Seidenberg pursues transformation

The boss of Royal Mail’s parent company has said it will push on with a transformation of the group despite its £3.57bn takeover, as Royal Mail prepares this month to cut more daily freight flights.

Martin Seidenberg, the chief executive of International Distribution Services, plans “the biggest network change in 20 years” to revamp Royal Mail’s deliveries despite uncertainty created by the Czech energy tycoon Daniel Kretinsky’s takeover, which has been backed by the board.

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Oliver Dowden reportedly reveals preferred choice for next Tory leader – UK general election live

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Deputy PM says Victoria Atkins is ‘star’ and is one of only people he could see leading Tory party

Meanwhile Rishi Sunak is expected to tell voters today that “If just 130,000 people switch their vote and lend us their support, we can deny Starmer that supermajority,” PA reports.

Keir Starmer has said a big majority would be “better for the country”, as the Tories continue to urge voters to proceed with caution and not hand Labour a “blank cheque”.

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Badenoch urged to scrutinise business links of Royal Mail bidder Křetínský

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Business secretary is due to meet Czech tycoon to discuss a takeover the Guardian has raised questions about

The business secretary, Kemi Badenoch, is being pressed to question the Royal Mail bidder Daniel Křetínský on his business links, after the Guardian raised questions about a series of controversial global property deals connected to the Czech billionaire’s longtime business partners.

Badenoch is scheduled to meet the tycoon next week to discuss his £3.57bn bid for the 500-year-old institution, which will be subjected to a review under the National Security and Investment Act.

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Royal Mail owner warns Czech billionaire’s offer could create risk around finances

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IDS says a change in ownership may lead to ‘material uncertainty’ over the company’s future

Royal Mail’s owner has warned that a potential £3.5bn bid by the Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský could create risk around the company’s finances.

The warning came as the industry regulator Ofcom announced that it had opened an investigation into the parent group, International Distributions Services (IDS), for failing to meet its annual delivery targets for the second year in a row. Last year, Ofcom fined the company £5.6m for failing to meet its first-class and second-class delivery targets in 2022-23.

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UK politics: I never called for rainbow lanyard ban, claims Esther McVey – as it happened

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‘Common sense minister’ denies plan to Channel 4 News despite saying earlier this week that lanyards should be a ‘standard design’

Labour says the Ministry of Justice’s decision to delay court hearings because of prison overcrowing (see 10.39am) shows that people are “less safe” under the Tories. That’s a very convenient retort to Rishi Sunak, because only two days ago he gave a major speech arguing that security was a key reason why his party deserved to win the election.

In a statement, Shabana Mahmood, the shadow justice secretary, said:

The Tories continue to make major and unprecedented changes to the justice system without so much as a word to the public. It’s completely unacceptable and the public will be alarmed at this latest panic measures.

The government is stalling justice and leaving victims in limbo because of the mess they have created. This comes days after they hid from the public that they’re now letting criminals out of jail earlier than ever before.

The government is completely failing [on knife crime]. We’ve had an 80% increase since 2015 and rises all around the country. That’s the first point.

On stop and search, that is intelligence lead and evidence-based and is a really important tool. We’ve had, for example, the Inspectorate of Constabulary, an independent organisation, looking at this saying that what’s essential is that it is done in that targeted way.

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Royal Mail urged to investigate claims of Chinese-made fake stamps

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Minister says he will work with business to investigate, while China dismisses suggestion of state role as ‘absurd’

The Post Office minister, Kevin Hollinrake, has called on Royal Mail to investigate allegations that factories in China are mass-producing fake British stamps for export.

Use of a counterfeit stamp can result in a £5 fine but realistic fakes are being sold online and bought unwittingly by the public and smaller retailers.

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Royal Mail names senior Heathrow executive as next boss

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Emma Gilthorpe is tasked with turning company around and takes up newly created CEO role in May

Royal Mail has appointed a senior executive from Heathrow to become its next boss, charged with delivering a turnaround to the ailing postal company.

Emma Gilthorpe, who has been the chief operating officer at the airport since 2020, will join Royal Mail in May.

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Royal Mail could save £650m by moving to three-day-a-week service, says Ofcom

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Regulator sets out possible ways forward in review of requirement to deliver across Britain, six days a week

Royal Mail could save up to £650m if it delivered letters just three days a week and £200m by stopping Saturday deliveries, the communications regulator has said.

The watchdog said a reduction from six to five days a week would save £100m to £200m, and going down to three days would save between £400m and £650m.

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Ofcom to set out possible Royal Mail reforms – and Saturday deliveries could end

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Regulator’s review will look at evidence and options on how universal postal service ‘might need to evolve’

Royal Mail could be allowed to end Saturday postal deliveries as part of Ofcom’s review into how the service may need to be reformed.

Next week, Ofcom will publish a document outlining “potential options for the future of the universal postal service”.

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Royal Mail hails best Christmas for four years – but staff miss £500 bonus

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Delivery company says nearly all festive deliveries arrived on time and its revenues rose

Royal Mail has said it had its best Christmas for four years, with nearly all festive deliveries arriving on time – despite missing a target that would have handed postal workers a £500 bonus.

The delivery company’s owner, International Distributions Services (IDS), on Thursday reported group revenues rose nearly 10% to £3.6bn in the final three months of 2023.

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Royal Mail loses 360-year monopoly on delivering parcels from Post Office sites

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Customer dissatisfaction with service thought to be reason for expanding remit to Evri and DPD

Royal Mail is to lose its 360-year-old monopoly on delivering parcels from Post Office branches, after concerns about poor quality of service persuaded the postal service to sign deals with rivals Evri and DPD in the run-up to Christmas.

The two couriers would be added to the options available at the counter from later this month, the Post Office said, with customers given a choice for the first time.

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Royal Mail uses drones to deliver post in the Orkney islands

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Service between Stromness to Hoy and Graemsay is Royal Mail’s first permanent drone delivery service

Royal Mail has begun using drones to deliver post in the Orkney islands, helping pave the way for drone deliveries to islands around the UK and on the mainland during emergencies.

The service between the village of Stromness on Orkney’s main island to the nearby islands of Hoy and Graemsay, using aircraft able to carry up to 6kg, is Royal Mail’s first permanent drone delivery service.

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Royal Mail chief expected to step down within weeks

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Simon Thompson has had a turbulent two-year stint at the helm

Royal Mail boss Simon Thompson is expected to step down within weeks, after a turbulent two-year stint at the helm.

The chief executive has been accused by unions of inflaming the bitter industrial dispute, and his credibility was put in question after a Commons select committee appearance.

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Royal Mail and Communication Workers Union reach deal on pay

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Agreement in principle follows strikes and 11 months of negotiations over pay, jobs and conditions

Royal Mail and union leaders have reached an agreement in principle after 11 months of negotiations in a dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

Royal Mail said it had reached a negotiators’ agreement with the Communication Workers Union (CWU), the details of which will be made public once it has been ratified by the union’s executive committee, which is expected to take place next week.

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Royal Mail workers poised for strikes after Easter as talks fail

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CWU union lines up action as MP brands bosses’ threat to put service into administration as ‘scandalous’

Postal workers at Royal Mail are poised to stage a fresh wave of strikes after Easter as talks stalled, amid a “scandalous” threat by bosses to put the company into administration.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents about 115,000 postal workers, is close to agreeing multiple strike dates to take place later in April, the Guardian understands, in the long-running dispute between the company and union. A formal announcement of the strike dates is expected this week.

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