Food delivery firms urged to conduct checks on all riders to stop ‘exploitation’

Food delivery giants should conduct checks on all their riders to protect the public and stop workers, including children, being exploited, the Government has said.

Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats couriers have self-employed status and can therefore get others to deliver for them, but are responsible for checking they are legally allowed to work.

This reportedly enables children to work as delivery riders, despite 18 being the minimum age, as “substitute” couriers are not verified by the apps.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who chaired a meeting with representatives of the three firms on Tuesday morning, said the policy of substitution was “perpetuating and enabling illegal working in our country”.

He later said: “When someone orders a takeaway to their home, they deserve to know that the person arriving at their door has been properly vetted and is who they’re expecting.

“Unchecked account sharing places the public at risk, enables – and therefore encourages – illegal migration, and leads to the exploitation of workers. That’s why I’m calling on these companies to end the use of unverified substitution.

“We’re taking the action needed to safeguard the British public and prevent the scourge of illegal working. It is critical these companies work with us to achieve this.”

The BBC found social media users selling or renting their accounts online, and reported that a 17-year-old boy died while working as a Deliveroo rider.

All three apps said riders must pass background checks and have the right to work in the UK, adding they remove couriers who cannot lawfully do so.

A Deliveroo spokesperson said: “We take our responsibilities extremely seriously. We have introduced facial recognition technology which will help to counter any abuse on the platform and, as outlined to the minister this morning, we plan to strengthen this. We will continue to work in close collaboration with the Home Office to support efforts in this area.”

An Uber Eats spokesperson said: “We understand that there are concerns around this issue, and we are working closely with the Government and want to find a solution.”

A Just Eat spokesperson said: “We have high standards and a robust criteria in place for couriers delivering on behalf of Just Eat.”