The revelation that only three-quarters of first-class mail is delivered on time is not merely a service failure. It is a strategic vulnerability. Royal Mail, a critical piece of national infrastructure, is degrading under our watch.
Ofcom’s impending crackdown is a rear-guard action, but the damage is done. Consider the logistics: every delayed letter represents a breakdown in the information supply chain. For hostile actors, this is an opportune moment.
A degraded postal service is a softer target for intercepts, a weaker node in the physical delivery of secure documents, and a signal of systemic rot. We have seen this pattern before. In the lead-up to the 2016 US election, postal delays were exploited to sow chaos with mail-in ballots.
Here in the UK, the implications for Government communications, legal documents, and financial instruments are profound. The workforce is demoralised, automation is lagging, and cyber defences on sorting office networks are likely porous. This is not just a regulatory issue.
It is a readiness issue. Ofcom must do more than fine. They must audit the entire cyber-phical security posture of Royal Mail.
The question is: who is watching the mail while we are watching the door?
