The polictical Uber football; who'll win?

It's the morning after Dara met Mike for tea and a custard cream in London to discuss why Uber didn't meet the requirements in the capital.

Dara Khosrowshahi took to social media to reassure the world that Uber would get it right and be back in business. TfL's commissioner Mike Brown simply said it was "constructive" talks about the standards London expects.

This has now become bigger than money and whilst £2.9m sounds a lot it's not. Taxi and Private Hire income is ringfenced so it does not matter whether buses or other transport links are failing, because the budget can't be moved elsewhere to cover it.

The Taxi and Private Hire industry plan to bring in more money with Uber not on the scenes through the change to licensing fees for operators. Regardless there will be more compliance and less drivers to check if Uber went. This is one of the few areas within TfL that does not rely on subsidies and is completely self-sufficient.

It's now very political. You've got Labour supporting the fairness and safety of drivers and the public. You have the Conservatives defending big business and the free market.

Mayor Sadiq Khan holds all the aces and central government can't interfere with licensing decisions. With Labour still making gains on a floundering Conservative government, there is no chance Labour will bow down to pressure and look weak at this point.

Uber will need to do this the hard way. Through appeal. But as stated yesterday will they risk everything for the London market or will they walk?