Uber seeks UK chairman as it battles to keep London licence

US ride-hailing company aims to repair its reputation after Transport for London ruled it was not a 'fit and proper' operator

• Uber says its business is similar to a minicab firm

Uber has hired a headhunter to fill a new position of UK chairman as it battles to stay operational in London.

The ride-hailing app said the search began weeks before the shock decision by Transport for London (TfL) last week to deny Uber a new licence to operate in the capital, on the grounds that it was "not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence".