Deliveroo has dismissed more than 100 riders as part of an ongoing effort to tackle illegal immigration within its workforce.
The food delivery giant confirmed to MPs that 105 workers had been removed since April 2024 for illegally sharing their accounts with undocumented migrants. The company has faced increasing government scrutiny over the issue, with concerns raised about the widespread abuse of the substitution system, which allows riders to appoint others to deliver on their behalf.
In response to mounting political pressure, Deliveroo and other gig economy giants—including Just Eat and Uber Eats—have been ordered to strengthen employment checks. Many platforms now require riders to regularly submit selfie or video verification to ensure the registered account holder is the one completing deliveries.
Paul Bedford, Deliveroo’s director of policy, outlined the company’s crackdown in a letter to the Commons business and trade select committee, stating:
“We have off-boarded 105 Deliveroo riders since April 2024 due to their substitutes providing invalid right-to-work documents. To be clear, a substitute rider must have their right-to-work status verified before they can complete any orders with Deliveroo.”
Government figures suggest that 40% of delivery riders stopped during random checks in April 2023 were working illegally. Some asylum seekers who had crossed the Channel were found to be earning up to £1,500 per month from food deliveries while staying in government-funded hotels.
The issue of illegal working within the gig economy has become a political flashpoint, with both major parties committed to cracking down on exploitation.
Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick previously accused the substitution system of fueling illegal immigration and compromising public safety due to lax right-to-work checks. Labour has since taken up the initiative, with employment rights minister Justin Madders receiving a dossier from Deliveroo outlining its efforts to tackle the issue.
A Whitehall source described Deliveroo’s workforce as an “area of concern” for the government, which is continuing to push for tighter controls across the industry.
A Deliveroo spokesperson defended the company’s actions, saying: “Deliveroo has led the industry in taking action to secure our platform against illegal working. We were the first to roll out direct right-to-work checks, a registration process, daily identity verification and now additional device checks for riders, including substitutes.
“We take our responsibilities extremely seriously and continue to strengthen our controls to prevent misuse of our platform. We would encourage the Government to ensure all major platforms urgently adopt the same standards.”
As gig economy platforms face increasing scrutiny over employment practices, Deliveroo’s efforts to tighten its verification systems may set a precedent for the industry. However, concerns remain over the extent of illegal working and whether further regulatory measures will be required.