Uber Files

[6][7] George Osborne, then UK chancellor, was described as "a strong advocate" who "liked to believe that he's responsible for the positive TfL consultation outcome" (Transport for London's decision to drop plans to tighten regulation).

[8] Neelie Kroes, former EU digital chief, was accused of secretly helping Uber by lobbying Dutch politicians, including prime minister Mark Rutte, during her 18-month "cooling-off period" after leaving the European Commission.

[9] Uber executives also criticised leaders who pushed back against their lobbyists, calling Olaf Scholz (then mayor of Hamburg) "a real comedian" for insisting on drivers getting a minimum wage.

[6] The leaked documents showed that Uber launched a charm offensive targeting leading media barons in Europe and India in order to secure more favorable treatment from their governments.

It targeted the owners of publications such as the UK's Daily Mail, France's Les Echos, Italy's La Repubblica and L'Espresso, Germany's Die Welt and Bild, and The Times of India.

E-mails from Kalanick and Europe legal director Zac de Kievit asking IT staff to kill access to computers were reported by The Guardian.

For example, it was reported that when the French competition regulator, the DGCCRF, raided Uber's offices in Paris, de Kievit asked an engineer in Denmark to "please kill access now".

Greyball was deployed in countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Denmark, with the knowledge of senior management such as Kalanick and Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty.

[15] The Indian Express also found that in most Uber cabs, safety features mandated by the Delhi Government, such as a panic button, were not present or did not work.

[17] Jill Hazelbaker, Uber's senior vice-president of public affairs, issued a statement: "We have not and will not make excuses for past behaviour that is clearly not in line with our present values.

[18] French opposition politicians across the political spectrum, as well as the leader of the trade union CGT, called for a parliamentary inquiry into Macron's links to Uber.

[20] The Italian news agency Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (ANSA) reported that taxi drivers across Italy stopped their vehicles in protest at the revelations on 12 July.