Former Labour Transport Secretary Louise Haigh demands further crackdown on taxi and private hire cross-border plans

Former transport secretary Louise Haigh has called on ministers to go further on reforming cross-border taxi and private hire licensing, arguing that existing plans for national minimum standards will not fully address safety and market impacts created by deregulation.

Speaking during Commons proceedings on 15 January, Haigh said cross-border hiring had become a routine concern raised by taxi drivers across the country, citing safeguarding risks for children and women alongside damage to local taxi markets. She linked the issue to changes made to taxi licensing laws in 2013, which allowed operators to accept bookings outside their licensing authority area.

Haigh told the House that the reforms, introduced under the Conservative government following lobbying from ride-hailing firms including Uber, had weakened local oversight and service standards. She argued that the current regulatory framework allows operators to base themselves in areas with lower licensing requirements, while working extensively elsewhere.

The Labour MP acknowledged the Government’s commitment to national minimum standards for taxis and private hire vehicles but said the measures did not go far enough. She asked whether parliamentary time would be made available in the second session of the current Parliament to legislate specifically on cross-border hiring.

Former transport secretary urges fresh legislation to address safety and market distortion concerns

Responding for the Government, Alan Campbell, the Leader of the House of Commons, said Haigh had raised an important issue and confirmed ministers recognised the need for further work. He said amendments tabled to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill represented an initial step toward addressing the problem.

Campbell reiterated the Government’s commitment to introducing robust national minimum standards aimed at improving passenger confidence and safeguarding. However, he stopped short of confirming whether dedicated legislation on cross-border hiring would be brought forward in the next parliamentary session, saying future options remained under consideration.

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Cross-border licensing has been a long-running issue for the taxi and private hire sector, with local authorities and trade bodies arguing it undermines enforcement, fare controls and safeguarding checks. Operators licensed in one area can legally work in another, provided bookings are taken through an operator licensed in their home authority, limiting the ability of councils to police standards on their roads.

The exchange follows growing pressure from the taxi trade and several local councils for tighter national controls, as the Government prepares to set out its framework for minimum licensing standards later this year. Industry groups are watching closely to see whether ministers will move beyond standards and reopen the 2013 legislative settlement.

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Haigh said: “It is not possible to get in a taxi at the moment without the driver rightly raising concerns about cross-border hiring. When the Tories deregulated the taxi licensing Laws in 2013 in response to lobbying from Uber, they undermined safeguarding—in particular for children and women—undercut local markets and undermined the standards of service that taxi drivers want to provide to their customers.

“I know that the Government are introducing national minimum standards for taxis, but that does not go the whole way to tackling this really important issue. Will the Leader of the House ensure that there is time in the second Session of this Parliament to legislate on cross-border hiring and put proper safety, safeguarding and service standards back at the heart of our taxi industry?”

Campbell said: “My right hon. Friend raises a very important issue. She is a strong campaigner on these matters and I welcome her contribution. We tabled amendments to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill as a first step, but, as she acknowledges, we are also committed to delivering robust national minimum standards so that passengers can travel with confidence. She would not expect me to comment on what might or might not happen in the second Session, but we continue to consider future legislative options on these matters, because there is further work to be done.”