[5] Following the 2010 general election, the new Business Secretary in the coalition government, Vince Cable, asked Richard Hooper CBE, the former deputy chairman of Ofcom, to expand on his previous report, to account for EU Directive 2008/6/EC which called for the postal sector to be fully open to competition by 31 December 2012.

[11] A 10-year inter-business agreement was signed between the two companies to allow Post Offices to continue issuing stamps and handling letters and parcels for Royal Mail.

[13] In July 2013, Cable announced that Royal Mail was to be floated on the London Stock Exchange, and confirmed that postal staff would be entitled to free shares.

It is consistent with developments elsewhere in Europe where privatised operators in Austria, Germany and Belgium produce profit margins far higher than the Royal Mail but have continued to provide high-quality and expanding services.

[15] A new holding company, Royal Mail Limited, was established on 6 September 2013, in anticipation of its initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange.

[17] Applications for members of the public to buy shares opened on 27 September 2013,[18] ahead of the company's listing on the London Stock Exchange on 15 October 2013.

"[31] Cable was required to respond to the sale price issue again on 11 July 2014 after a report was published on that date by the Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Committee.

It is clear that the Government met its objectives in terms of delivering a privatised Royal Mail with an employee share scheme.

[32] During the presentation of the report, Bailey referred to the underpinning factors of "fear of failure and poor quality advice", and warned that British taxpayers could sustain further losses in the future due to the inclusion of Royal Mail's 'surplus' assets as part of "the most significant privatisation in years".

[40] In July 2022, it was announced that the holding company responsible for both Royal Mail and GLS would change its name to International Distributions Services.

The offer included commitments to retain the Royal Mail name, brand, UK headquarters, and employee benefits, while being subject to scrutiny under the National Security and Investment Act.

The deal will be voted on by shareholders at IDS's annual general meeting in September, with potential government intervention due to national security concerns.

Despite concerns over declining letter volumes and scrutiny of Křetínský's Russian business ties, the agreement, supported by unions, aimed to stabilize and reform Royal Mail.

[46] The main business segments are: UK Parcels, International, and Letters (UKPIL), General Logistics Systems (GLS) and Group.