Ministers in Andy Burnham's government have demanded an urgent meeting with Royal Mail managers over fears that millions of Christmas cards could be delivered late. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has called for the talks, insisting there can be no repeat of last year's disruption, when an estimated 16 million people were affected by festive letters failing to arrive on time.
MPs demand more powers for Ofcom
The intervention follows calls from MPs, who said late deliveries caused people to miss vital hospital appointments and face penalties for unpaid parking fines. They are urging the Government to give more powers to Ofcom, the official postal services watchdog. The watchdog is currently investigating claims, denied by Royal Mail, that the business is prioritising parcels and neglecting letter deliveries.
Business Minister Kate Dearden said: "With Christmas approaching, improvements clearly cannot wait. This is Royal Mail's busiest period." She and the Business Secretary were set to meet with Royal Mail managers and representatives of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents staff, she said.
Plans to recruit extra staff
Dearden said: "The Secretary of State and I will be meeting with both Royal Mail and CWU next week to seek updates on progress. I know that postal workers have valuable insights on operations and thoughts about how things can be improved." Highlighting plans to bring in extra staff, she added: "I welcome the commitment from Royal Mail to recruit 22,000 staff to help deliver this Christmas, and I will be seeking reassurances that it is doing everything it can to meet the demand."
MPs have accused Royal Mail of causing misery for constituents with late deliveries. Speaking in Parliament, Milton Keynes MP Chris Curtis said: "A letter dated 7 July arrived on 4 August, five days after the recipient was supposed to have had an operation. Just in case that was not bad enough, Royal Mail also messed up on follow-up letters from the NHS about cancer checks. We have heard that Royal Mail is planning to get this service fixed by Christmas. I should like to know which Christmas, because in August one of my constituents managed to receive a very, very late Christmas card."
Missed appointments and fines
MP Chris Bloore said a Redditch constituent had missed a hospital appointment because of letters arriving late. He said: "One constituent received a hospital letter on 6 October about an appointment on 17 September." Cannock Chase MP Josh Newbury said one constituent "missed extremely important medical appointments on many occasions" because letters had not been delivered, while a couple "received a parking fine that would have been £60 if paid within 14 days. However, because the correspondence was not received, they were unaware of the deadline so ended up having to pay the full £100."
A survey by Citizens Advice in January this year found an estimated 16 million people were hit by post delays last Christmas, up by 50% from 2024. A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We welcome the opportunity to update ministers on the progress we're making to improve our service and our preparations for Christmas. For the last two years, more than 99% of items posted by the last recommended dates arrived in time for Christmas, and we're determined to deliver the same again this year. Volumes more than double in the run-up to Christmas, and we're bringing in 22,000 seasonal workers to manage the extra demand and deliver a reliable service for our customers."
