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London cabbies tell George Osborne 'We're coming for you' in protest on his first day as Evening Standard editor

New recruit faces placards and megaphones as he takes charge of free daily

Jon Sharman
Tuesday 02 May 2017 06:14 EDT
George Osborne arrives for first day as Evening Standard editor to taxi drivers' protests

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Taxi drivers shouted "George Osborne, we're coming for you" in a raucous protest on the ex-Chancellor's first day as editor of the London Evening Standard.

Cabbies outside the paper's Northcliffe House offices in Kensington said they were "suffering" from the rise of Uber, the ride-hailing app that has undercut London's black taxi trade.

Protesters believe Mr Osborne lobbied on behalf of the app during his time in government, when in 2015 then-London mayor Boris Johnson was considering cracking down on it.

At the time Mr Johnson said Uber drivers had "systematically broken" taxi laws around how cabs are hailed.

One protester, who said he had been a black cab driver for nine years, told The Independent: "My family are suffering. Everybody's families here are suffering.

"All of us are calling for an inquiry. Nothing is happening at the moment. That's what it feels like."

The Standard is owned by the same parent company as The Independent.

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