Shadow chancellor John McDonnell labelled Uber a ‘disgrace’ today as it was revealed two members of the Transport for London board are veteran unionists.
Some MPs have accused London mayor Sadiq Khan of relenting to union pressure.
He had been given £30,000 for his mayoral campaign by GMB which represents black cab drivers. They called the ban an ‘historic victory’.
TfL sensationally stripped the global taxi app of its licence to operate in London on Friday, claiming it was not ‘fit and proper’.
More than 650,000 people have signed a petition urging Transport for London to reverse its decision. A spokesman for Uber said around 20,000 of the firm’s drivers had emailed Mr Khan directly to object to the decision.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell labelled Uber a ‘disgrace’ today as Labour heavyweights clashed with the Tories over the taxi app firm losing its licence to operate in London
Uber’s private hire licence will not be renewed after a bombshell decision by TfL on Friday
TfL took the decision not to renew Uber’s licence following concerns about the tech giant’s failure to report serious crimes by drivers and the firm’s vetting process.
Mr Khan – who as mayor is chairman of the Transport for London board but did not take part in the licensing decision – said Uber had brought the ban on itself.
However some MPs have accused Mr Khan of caving in to union pressure. It has since emerged that two members of the TfL board are veteran unionists.
Kay Carberry is a life-long trade union figure who has held various posts in the Trades Union Congress and was the Assistant General Secretary 2003-2016. Her son Joe is the godson of Lord Mandelson.
Another member, Bronwen Handyside, has been active in London’s trade union movement for more than 30 years. She is vice-chair of Unite and is also chair of Unite’s London Area Activist committee. On her biography on the TfL website it mentions how has always used public transport in the capital.
Drivers of traditional black London cabs held a protest this year against the minicab app. The app was seen as unfairly undercutting black cabs due to the lack of regulation of drivers
Unions and Labour MPs have welcomed the decision.
Wes Streeting, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on taxis, described it as a ‘courageous’ move.
Speaking on ITV’s Peston on Sunday today Mr McDonnell said: ‘Hand on heart, I don’t think I’ve ever used Uber.
‘The company is a disgrace. You have to abide by the law. If the company was outside the law, what could Transport for London do?
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been blasted by MPs as he tells furious passengers to ‘direct your anger at Uber’
‘I think the company is at fault here. Four months ago they were told to get their act together and they didn’t.’
Mr Corbyn said he was ‘not sure’ if he had ever used an Uber ‘but I don’t think so’.
He said: ‘What I think we need with Uber is decent pay and conditions for its staff.’
Unite union boss Len McCluskey said he had never taken an Uber and added: ‘I’m one of these people that believes that Uber is part of this horrible, race-to-the-bottom, culture that has developed in this country.’
Uber has pledged to clean up its act and make changes as it battles to regain its licence in London.
The company’s concessions are likely to involve passenger safety and benefits for its drivers, possible limits on working hours to improve road safety and holiday pay.
Tom Elvidge, Uber’s general manager in London, told The Sunday Times: ‘We’d like to know what we can do…to sit down and work together to get this right.’
That represented a marked change of tone from Friday when he claimed he was ‘astounded’ by the decision.
Uber has said it will appeal the decision, during which time it will continue to operate as normal.
The process could see the dispute go on for up to a year.