Rivals should be made to deliver regularly, and to any address, Royal Mail tells MPs

Royal Mail says rivals such as Whistl can ‘cherry-pick’ where they deliver (Getty)

Royal Mail has told MPs that existing and potential rivals must be forced to deliver post for a set number of days and to every address in the regions they serve in order to protect the universal postal service.

In evidence to the Business Select Committee, Royal Mail has called for a new regulatory framework to be imposed on Whistl, formerly TNT Post. The Dutch-owned company has become a significant competitor this year as it has started to deliver business mail in Manchester, Liverpool and London.

However, Whistl has been accused of cherry-picking, delivering only to easily accessible addresses. Under the universal service obligation, Royal Mail is committed to delivering to all 29 million UK addresses, including remote homes on loss-making routes.

In its evidence, Whistl claims Royal Mail, which was privatised last year, "lags behind its most modernised, EU peers in terms of efficiency, cost reduction, productivity and flexibility".