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Uber to sign up 20,000 more UK drivers as Covid rules ease

UBER aims to sign up an additional 20,000 more drivers in Britain as the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions boosts demand, the ride-hailing app said on Thursday (29).

The Silicon Valley-based firm has already seen a more than 50 per cent increase in trips after restaurants were allowed to reopen for outdoor dining from April 12 in England, it said.


Further restrictions are due to be eased over the next few weeks and months as prime minister Boris Johnson's government pursues a roadmap to unlock the economy.

In March, Uber gave its existing 70,000 drivers workers' rights, including the minimum wage, after it lost a Supreme Court case.

It was a massive change in the business model of a company that had argued before Britain's Supreme Court that its drivers were self-employed.

On the minimum wage, which stands at £8.72 ($12.13) per hour for those aged 25 and over, Uber said it would apply "after accepting a trip request and after expenses" and that on average drivers earn an hourly £17 in London.

"As cities open up and people start moving again, we are encouraging 20,000 new drivers to sign up," said Northern and Eastern Europe boss Jamie Heywood.

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Police

Previously, mobile phone searches were only possible after a migrant's arrest

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Police can now remove coats and conduct mouth searches on illegal migrants

Highlights

  • Police can now require migrants to remove coats and undergo mouth searches for devices.
  • Government aims to dismantle criminal gangs behind record Channel crossings.
  • Rights groups condemn measures as "dystopian act of brutality" against traumatised people.
Police in Britain will be able to require illegal migrants to remove their coats and allow mouth searches at ports to look for mobile phones or SIM cards, the government announced on Monday.

The Home Office said the new powers would support investigations aimed at dismantling criminal gangs suspected of smuggling migrants across the Channel, which have reached record levels this year.

Officers can make migrants remove coats, jackets, or gloves to search for devices and may inspect mouths for concealed SIM cards or small electronics. The measures are designed to gather intelligence on migrants' journeys and the smuggling networks facilitating them.

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