Several changes have already been put in place by the Royal Mail which have attempted to address the issues
The government has responded after concerns were raised over standards at the Royal Mail including "failed" letter delivery standards as well as "worsening conditions" for staff. The Royal Mail has already set in place a number of changes as it seeks to tackle falling numbers of letters which are now being posted.
These included alternating schedules for second-class letters, higher stamp costs, and updated tracking notifications. Ofcom also lowered the firm's official targets to allow 90% of First Class mail to be delivered next-day, while second-class now aims for 95% to be delivered within three working days.
However campaigners have said the move is not enough and said the solution was for the company to be taken back into public ownership. A petition to the government set out the concerns and suggested removing it from private ownership.
It said: "We are concerned that Royal Mail has made profits for years while having repeated industrial disputes with loyal postal workers. Letter delivery has failed time and again. We believe privatisation has clearly failed — the Government should restore Royal Mail to public ownership
"We believe Royal Mail has generated profits for years while its dedicated postal workers have faced worsening conditions, triggering repeated industrial disputes. Letter delivery standards have failed time and time again, and we feel that the public is paying the price.
"We think privatisation has clearly failed. The Government should purchase Royal Mail and return this essential service to public ownership."
More than 10,300 people signed the petition which closed last Friday, and this week the government responded. In its answer on Monday it rejected the idea saying: "The Government has no current plans to return Royal Mail to public ownership. Our priority is to ensure the provision of a universal postal service that does not compete for public funds."
It continued with a fuller answer saying: "Royal Mail is a critical part of our national infrastructure, providing crucial services for millions across the UK, and is an iconic part of UK national life. Privatisation was necessary to ensure this critical institution continues and that there is a consistent provision of a universal postal service that does not compete for public funds, which should be used to fund the NHS and other public services.
"The designated universal service provider remaining within the private sector with access to the capital needed to transform the business and ensure its long-term financial sustainability, is therefore the most appropriate option at this time." It said that the government had secured "significant commitments" to protect UK customers including its Golden Share in Royal Mail, securing a veto against the movement of Royal Mail’s tax and HQ residency out of the UK.
But it confirmed there were issues and said the "quality of service has not been good enough". It added: "Ministers have regularly met Royal Mail’s leadership to discuss ongoing performance issues following reports of issues in a number of areas and will continue to make representations where service levels fall short.
"Most recently the Minister for the Future of Work met with the Chief Executive of Royal Mail on 21 September 2026 to reinforce the importance of postal deliveries to constituents and to reinforce that the company needs to continue to improve its performance." It said figures for the first quarter of 2026/27 show "some positive improvement".
It said First Class performance was up 9% to 85.0% and second class up by 2.1% to 91.4%. But it warned: "Whilst an improvement this still does not meet statutory targets, and we will continue to push Royal Mail to improve."
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Our latest Quality of Service results are encouraging and show that the changes we are making are delivering real improvements for customers. First Class performance has improved to 85% delivered the next working day, up from 76% a year earlier. Across all letters, 93% of are delivered on time and more than 99% within a week.
"We know there is more to do and are investing £500 million over five years to improve reliability. We are also making significant changes across our network, including rolling out our new delivery model across all 1,200 delivery offices, which will help provide a more consistent service for customers across the UK."