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29% of UK adults hit by Royal Mail delays over Christmas, warns Citizens Advice
An estimated 16 million people – or 29% of UK adults – experienced post delays with Royal Mail over Christmas, Citizens Advice has said.
The figure, which applies to letters and cards but not parcels, is a 50% increase on December 2024, up from 10.7 million people, the charity found.
Some 5.7 million people missed vital letters about health appointments, fines, benefit decisions and legal documents, it warned.
Aside from 2022, when Royal Mail took strike action, the charity’s annual research found the number of people experiencing these issues over the festive period was the highest in five years.
Citizens Advice, the statutory watchdog for post, said not enough was being done to prioritise consumers who had “no choice but to put up with delivery delays and service cuts, despite increasing stamp prices”.
Among those who send or receive post with Royal Mail, 36% said they sent fewer Christmas cards in 2025 because stamps were too expensive.
Another 34% reported not getting post for between one and three weeks at a time, then receiving a bunch of five or more letters in one go.
Almost a quarter of those who experienced post delays (22%) said they were left feeling anxious or distressed about benefits, bills, losing money and missing other financial information.
The cost of a 1st class stamp, now £1,70, has more than doubled since 2020 despite Royal Mail failing to meet a 1st class annual delivery target since 2017 or a 2nd class target since 2020.
In July last year, regulator Ofcom announced cuts to Royal Mail’s 2nd class delivery days alongside lower delivery targets as part of the review of the Universal Service Obligation (USO).
The company now only has to deliver 2nd class post every other weekday, instead of six days a week, with these changes set to be rolled out nationwide this year.
Anne Pardoe, head of policy at Citizens Advice, said: “We’re afraid there’s no light at the end of the tunnel for consumers struggling with Royal Mail’s persistent delivery failures. When people have no other postal provider to choose from, the sheer volume of delays is simply unacceptable.
“The company’s dreadful festive slump is about much more than late Christmas cards. People are left distressed after missing health appointments, fines and benefit decisions.
“This is a worrying trend, and with cuts to delivery days looming, Ofcom must start cracking down even harder on missed targets before things go from bad to worse. Any future stamp price increases should be conditional on Royal Mail meeting these targets.”
A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Independent data shows that more than 99% of items posted by the last recommended dates arrived in time for Christmas.
“This was during our busiest time of year, when volumes more than double, and we’re grateful to our teams across the country who worked incredibly hard to deliver for our customers.”
An Ofcom spokesman said: “In recent years, we’ve fined Royal Mail £37 million for its poor letter delivery performance, and we’ll continue to hold the company to account.
“Last year, we modernised the obligations imposed on Royal Mail, to reflect what people need, put the service on a more sustainable footing, and enable the company to invest more in improving its delivery performance.
“Royal Mail must now play its part by implementing this effectively and improving its reliability.”
Yonder surveyed 2,095 UK adults between January 5-6.
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Hetero rolls out generic semaglutide exports to over 75 countries – The Times of India
Hyderabad: Pharma player Hetero on Friday said it has rolled out exports of its generic semaglutide injection portfolio as part of a multi-year plan to widen access to treatments for type 2 diabetes and obesity in more than 75 countries.The Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company said initial rollouts are under way in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, with additional launches planned in other markets subject to regulatory approvals.The injectable therapies will be sold under the brand names Truglyx, Rolmodl and Moto G. Semaglutide belongs to the GLP-1 class of medicines, which are used in diabetes care and weight management.Hetero said the export launch is part of its broader strategy to improve access to advanced cardio-metabolic therapies, particularly in emerging markets.The company said the products will be offered in multi-dose disposable pen devices designed in line with innovator formats and will be available in several strengths, including 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg, 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg, allowing dosing flexibility for both diabetes and obesity treatment.Hetero said it is also awaiting approval from India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) after completing clinical trials in type 2 diabetes and obesity and plans an India launch after regulatory clearance.Hetero managing director Dr Vamsi Krishna Bandi said the company aims to provide high-quality, affordable generic semaglutide through a single global product platform backed by its manufacturing and development capabilities.He said Hetero would use its commercial networks across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America to support supply and access. The Hyderabad-headquartered Hetero operates in more than 145 countries and employs over 30,000 people.
Business
India-US trade deal update: Piyush Goyal meets USTR Jamieson Greer, discusses next steps in BTA talks – The Times of India
Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Friday met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and reviewed the next steps in negotiations for the proposed India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA).The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 14th ministerial conference (MC14) of the World Trade Organisation in Yaounde, Cameroon, where both sides also exchanged views on issues related to the WTO agenda.“Had a very productive discussion with @USTradeRep Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of the WTO Ministerial Conference. Exchanged views on the #WTOMC14 agenda, next steps in the India-US BTA negotiations and explored ways to further deepen our economic cooperation and bilateral trade ties,” Goyal said in a social media post.The development comes amid ongoing efforts by both countries to finalise an interim trade pact. Last month, India and the US announced that they had finalised a framework for the first phase of the agreement, though it is yet to be signed.The two sides had earlier announced a trade deal on February 2, followed by a joint statement on February 7 outlining the contours of the agreement.As part of the framework, the US had agreed to reduce tariffs on Indian goods to 18%. However, the tariff structure has since undergone changes after the US Supreme Court struck down sweeping tariffs imposed under earlier measures.Following the ruling, US President Donald Trump introduced a 10% tariff on all countries for a period of 150 days starting February 24.In view of these developments, a planned meeting between chief negotiators of India and the US — aimed at finalising the legal text of the agreement — has been postponed. The pact was earlier expected to be signed this month.An official had earlier said that the interim trade agreement would be signed once the new global tariff framework of the US is fully in place.
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