Ofcom does not apply its standard delivery targets to Royal Mail during the busy festive period, a long-standing exemption that consumer groups have criticised. A first-class stamp now costs £1.70 — more than double its 2020 price — while a second-class stamp costs 87p. Royal Mail has not met its Ofcom-mandated delivery targets for first-class post since 2017, or for second-class mail since 2020. A decade ago, Royal Mail delivered around 20 billion letters a year; that figure has fallen to 6.7 billion and could drop to 4 billion within four years. Royal Mail also faced criticism ahead of Christmas after downgrading a staff perk, replacing books of first-class stamps with second-class stamps for employees.