Royal Mail boss accused of giving inaccurate evidence

The boss of Royal Mail, Simon Thompson, is to be quizzed again by MPs after "hundreds" of complaints were made about the accuracy of evidence he gave to a committee last week.

The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy committee said doubts were raised after Mr Thompson denied the firm tracked workers' productivity through their handheld computers.

It also questioned his denial that Royal Mail prioritised parcels.

Royal Mail said it is happy to clarify.

Mr Thompson gave his testimony to MPs on 17 January as the company continued its dispute with members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU).

Thousands of postal workers have held strikes in recent months in a long-running row over pay and conditions.

The chair of the committee, Darren Jones, said that since Mr Thompson had appeared before the committee, they had received "significant quantities of evidence" to suggest his responses might not have been "wholly correct".

Mr Jones added: "Giving inaccurate information to a parliamentary committee, whether by accident or otherwise, is taken very seriously.

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"We must get to the bottom of these inconsistencies on behalf of parliament and intend to do so during this additional hearing."

The committee said the claim that Royal Mail prioritises parcels over letters - which Mr Thompson denied - would potentially compromise the delivery of the universal service obligation, that guarantees a minimum mail service.

Royal Mail has been delivering fewer letters as people use email and other forms of communication instead. It recently asked the government if it could stop letter deliveries on a Saturday, but promised to keep running a seven-day-a-week parcel service.

The committee also said it wants Mr Thompson to clarify what he said about employee sick pay arrangements.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We welcome the opportunity to expand on any points on which the committee would like clarification, and share the steps we are taking to resolve this dispute and secure the long-term future of Royal Mail for our people and customers.

"As the CWU launches its third ballot for industrial action today, we are seeing an increasingly false narrative circulating on our pay and change dispute," it added.

A CWU spokesperson said: "In the interests of democracy and public standards, we wholeheartedly welcome this decision.

"Politicians tasked by voters to conduct scrutinising work with the greatest possible knowledge and clarity have grave concerns about Simon Thompson's evasive conduct."