but isn’t your national post serving an important competitive function, keeping other (fully private) mailing and courrier services in the pricing ballpark?

private companies would fill the void - at the consumer’s expense, no?

Royal Mail is fully private; no part of it is nationally owned.

It was sold off on the cheap a decade ago (while it was still profitable) with a major “caveat emptor” stipulation that the universal service obligation would remain as it was.

The private owners have since hived off the profitable parcel delivery arm (GLS) into a legally distinct entity, and have started whinging that the now isolated letter delivery business is unprofitable without degrading the service obligation.

It’s a cynical move.