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Delivery drivers for food-ordering platforms including Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat are striking on Valentine’s Day to call for better pay and conditions.

Wednesday’s five-hour walkout is being organised by Delivery Job UK, an umbrella organisation, many of whose members are Brazilian and which claims to have more than 3,000 supporters in London and several other UK cities, according to The Guardian.

The group said on X on Sunday that the industrial action “highlights the growing tensions between gig economy workers and the platforms they work for. As consumers, it’s crucial to consider the conditions under which our conveniences are delivered”.

“Let’s stand in solidarity with those fighting for fair wages and better working conditions,” it said. “It’s more than just a meal at stake – it’s about the dignity and rights of every worker.”

The strike, which will last between 5pm and 10pm, will likely affect thousands of deliveries, as couriers, who normally compete across multiple apps for delivery, refuse to take orders.

In November, the Supreme Court ruled that Deliveroo riders were not “workers”, and could not form a union, following a long-running battle by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain for the right to unionise and bargain on their behalf.

As freelancers, delivery drivers have previously protested over not being entitled to the benefits enjoyed by full-time employees.

The organisation said it wanted a £5 minimum. Other companies use different pricing structures.

A spokesman told the BBC: “They [Deliveroo] have lowered their fees. There’s no incentive anymore. On a Friday night you could make £100 over 4-5 hours, now that’s gone”.

Couriers, he said, were also exposed to “a lot of violence on the streets”, especially in the evenings.

A Deliveroo spokesperson told Sky News: “Deliveroo aims to provide riders with the flexible work riders tell us they value, attractive earning opportunities and protections.

“Rider retention rates are high and the overwhelming majority of riders tell us that they are satisfied working with us.

“We value dialogue with riders, which is why we have a voluntary partnership agreement with a trade union, which includes annual discussions on pay.

“We are pleased to also be able to offer riders free insurance, sickness cover, financial support when riders become new parents and a range of training opportunities.”

An Uber Eats spokesperson said: “We offer a flexible way for couriers to earn by using the app when and where they choose.

“We know that the vast majority of couriers are satisfied with their experience on the app, and we regularly engage with couriers to look at how we can improve their experience.”

A Just Eat spokesperson said: “We take the concerns of all couriers on the Just Eat network extremely seriously. Their welfare is important to us, and we welcome their feedback.

“Our data shows that couriers delivering for Just Eat earn, on average, significantly over both the London and national living wage for the time they are on an order.

“We provide a highly competitive base rate to self-employed couriers and have a good relationship with the vast majority of couriers across our network. In addition, we offer regular incentives to help them maximise their earnings and continue to review our pay structure regularly.”

Read more:
Can’t find Valentine’s roses? It may be down to Brexit
All you need to know about the ‘Welsh Valentine’s Day’
Delivery drivers ‘are not employees’ – Supreme Court

In the US, delivery drivers are planning strike action for two hours in major cities including Chicago, Miami and Philadelphia because they are “TIRED of being mistreated by the app companies”, according to a post by Justice for App Workers, which says it represents more than 130,000 app drivers.

In a statement on the group’s website, it said members are “sick of working 80 hours/week just to make ends meet, being constantly scared for our safety, and worrying about being deactivated with the click of a button”.

It added: “We’re going on strike and telling the app companies that WE WON’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!”

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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Boy dies after ‘getting into difficulty’ in lake in southeast London

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Boy dies after 'getting into difficulty' in lake in southeast London

A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.

Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.

The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.

“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.

The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.

In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.

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google street view inside Beckenham Place park, Lewisham where a 16 y/o boy is missing after getting into difficulty in a lake
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Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon

Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.

The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.

It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.

“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”

Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.

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