Royal Mail fined £21m after a quarter of first-class post was late

Royal Mail has been fined £21m after almost a quarter of first-class post arrived late.

The fine is the outcome of an investigation by the communications watchdog, Ofcom, after Royal Mail missed its targets for both first and second-class post.

Royal Mail only delivered 77% of First Class mail and 92.5% of Second Class mail on time in the 2024/25 financial year, well short of its 93% and 98.5% targets.

Ian Strawhorne, director of enforcement at Ofcom, said: “Millions of important letters are arriving late, and people aren’t getting what they pay for when they buy a stamp.”