‘We needed Dave and George to lean on Boris’: Uber’s battle for London

The US firm used Tory connections to wage a relentless UK lobbying campaign, leaked files show

• Osborne and Hancock did not declare secret Uber meetings
• Star executive quit Uber as it faced pressure over UK tax structure

Uber was riding high in London in 2014. Two years after launching, the US private hire app had eaten into the business of black taxis and minicabs without huge political backlash.

But that spring, one of Uber's main political fixers got in touch with its California HQ with some bad news about Boris Johnson, the London mayor.