Royal Mail has launched an investigation after a postal worker appeared to boast that they had binned Reform UK leaflets ahead of the local elections.
A post on a Facebook group for staff said: ‘My DO had reform party’s D2D today. I dumped them all in a bin.
‘DO’ stands for delivery office and ‘D2D’ for door to door – or unaddressed advertising mail.
‘They can sack me,’ the user added, signing off, ‘Idgaf! [I don’t give a f***]’
Reform UK, like other parties, has been distributing campaign leaflets in the lead-up to the elections on May 7.
The message was shared to a 30,000-member Facebook group called Royal Mail Chat, which is open to employees, partners and members of the Communication Workers Union.
A postal worker appeared to boast in a Facebook group for Royal Mail staff that they had binned Reform UK leaflets ahead of the local elections
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage branded the alleged incident ‘very disturbing’
Alistair Cochrane, chief executive of the postal service, received a letter from lawyers acting on behalf of Reform UK about a ‘suspected serious incident of apparent deliberate misconduct’.
They said: ‘Such conduct constitutes a wilful breach of Royal Mail’s statutory and contractual obligations to deliver mail and literature impartially and efficiently.
‘It also undermines the democratic process and Reform UK’s lawful right to engage in political campaigning.
The lawyers branded the incident ‘a serious affront to basic democratic principles, to the hundreds of thousands of voters who are entitled to receive information from all parties on an equal basis’.
Writing on X, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: ‘If this is found to be true, it would be very disturbing, albeit this is not the first time that I have encountered this.’
In 2024, ahead of the general election, Royal Mail was embroiled in another scandal concerning the party, when a postman was filmed writing ‘racists’ on a leaflet.
Addressing the most recent incident on Facebook, Reform UK demanded an ‘immediate and thorough internal investigation’ and a full written explanation.
It also requested details of any compensation measures Royal Mail ‘proposes to offer for the loss and disruption caused’.
A spokesman for the postal service said it plays a ‘crucial role’ in elections.
They added: ‘We take our responsibility very seriously and do not tolerate the deliberate non‑delivery of mail.
‘We are investigating this allegation and remain committed to impartial delivery for all candidates.’
