So the end of the universal service, the abolition of which is seen as the silver bullet to save the Royal Mail, could be nigh. Or not, if the prime minister sees an electoral liability and another impending postal scandal like the ITV drama showing the state’s disgraceful treatment of subpostmasters.
Weekend reports had indicated that Ofcom, in its role as postal regulator, is shifting toward recommending the universal service obligation (USO) be ditched. The USO is the promise that Royal Mail will deliver six days a week on a promise of one-price-goes-anywhere.
It is the millstone that was hung around the neck of Royal Mail by the Cameron-Clegg coalition as the quid pro quo for going through its controversial sell-off in 2013: the promise
