Cabbies cause gridlock as they demand Uber probe
BLACK cab drivers brought Westminster to a standstill yesterday as they demanded a public inquiry into the relationship between David Cameron’s government and online taxi firm Uber.
Thousands of taxis descended on Whitehall in a protest at claims the former prime minister and ex- chancellor George Osborne told aides to lobby against a planned crackdown on Uber.
Organisers said around 10,000 drivers took part in the demonstration, with black cabs blocking the length of Whitehall and halting traffic around Parliament.
It was organised after a Daily Mail investigation revealed that in late 2015 a No 10 adviser urged then-London mayor Boris Johnson not to introduce rules aimed at curbing Uber’s UK operations.
Mr Cameron was then accused of a ‘blatant cover-up’ after he failed to divulge details of his government’s alleged secretive lobbying operation when asked to do so under Freedom of Information laws.
Emails sent from Daniel Korski, the deputy head of Mr Cameron’s policy unit, to Mr Johnson’s team and to Transport for London were later uncovered.
It also emerged that Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne met Uber commu- nications chief Rachel Whetstone, a former Tory staffer, at a party in December 2015 while the discussions were going on.
Yesterday’s demonstration was organised by the United Cabbies Group, which called on Theresa May to ‘do the decent thing’ and hold a formal inquiry into both the alleged cover-up and the government’s links to Uber. Trevor Merralls, general secretary of the UCG, said: ‘I would like to thank the Daily Mail for bringing this to light.
‘Following the Mail’s investigation we are delivering a letter asking the Prime Minister to hold a formal inquiry into Cameron and Osborne’s relationship with Uber. The Prime Minister promised her country would not be for the privileged few and she needs to do the decent thing and stick up for the London taxi trade.’ Mr Merralls called for the Government to tighten regulations on Uber and force the Californian tech giant, which currently pays almost no UK tax, to contribute its fair share.
‘Uber are worth $60billion and their predatory pricing is putting traditional hard-working cab drivers out of business,’ he added. ‘The Government need to stand up for us.’
Peter Thompson, who has been a black cab driver for eight years, was at the protest. He said: ‘We want the truth about whether George Osborne and David Cameron were in bed with Uber.
‘There is nothing wrong with competition but it’s got to be fair. We have to adhere to all these strict rules and regulations but it seems Uber can do whatever they want.’
‘Needs to do the decent thing’