A shake-up of the postal service that could hand the owner of Royal Mail a £300m boost will not take place before the general election, it has emerged, as the company’s bosses meet ministers to discuss its proposed £3.5bn takeover by a Czech billionaire. The industry regulator, Ofcom, has been studying options to reform the universal service obligation (USO), which requires Royal Mail to deliver nationwide, six days a week. Ofcom has said an update to the process, which could result in the regulator allowing the struggling company to cut back its service, is due this summer. However, the Guardian understands that Ofcom does not expect to implement any reforms until after the forthcoming general election, which could take place as late as January, and possibly not until the second half of 2025. The communications watchdog’s work has taken on extra importance since the emergence of takeover interest in Royal Mail’s owner, International Distributions Services (IDS), from its largest shareholder, the Czech energy tycoon Daniel Křetínský. On Wednesday, the IDS board backed a 370p-a-share bid from Křetínský’s EP Group. The lengthy timetable for the reform process represents a blow for Martin Seidenberg, the chief executive of IDS, who recently called...