LEADING UK RESTAURANT AND GROCERY PARTNERS JOIN DELIVEROO’S CALL ON HOME SECRETARY TO PROTECT DELIVERY DRIVERS IN CRIME & POLICING BILL

London, Tuesday 25th February: Over 30 leading UK restaurants and supermarkets with more than 3,000 sites across the UK have written to the Home Secretary calling for greater protections for delivery drivers in the upcoming Crime & Policing Bill. The joint letter forms part of Deliveroo’s ‘Right to Ride Safely’ campaign, which launched in November 2024 and is backed by GMB, one of the UK’s largest unions, and the British Retail Consortium.

The Government has committed to creating a standalone offence of assaulting or threatening a retail worker when they’re at their place of work in the upcoming Crime & Policing Bill.

But Pizza Express, Morrisons, Wingstop, Bella Italia, Cafe Rouge, Dishoom, Pizza Pilgrims and the other signatories say this stops short of protecting delivery riders when they are on a delivery.

The group is calling on the Government to protect delivery riders for the entire duration of their delivery - from accepting the order, travelling to collect it, all the way through to dropping it off at the customer's house.

The signatories combined operate over 3,000 restaurants and supermarket sites across all four corners of the UK. In the letter calling for change, the group told the Home Secretary that “delivery riders are an essential lifeline for our industry, connecting our businesses to homes, workplaces and communities nationwide. They help us keep the UK’s hospitality and retail sectors thriving and play a vital role in boosting high streets and local economies.”

Deliveroo’s ‘Right to Ride Safely’ campaign was launched after figures revealed there had been a 28% increase in the total number of abusive incidents towards riders when compared to the six months prior. This includes verbal abuse, reports of racism and sexism and illegal activity such as theft of an order, a rider’s vehicle, or their delivery equipment.

Appealing to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to take action, the group wrote: “There are real people behind these numbers - people who face physical and verbal assault, racism, sexism and theft. It’s time for the Government to act and send a clear message: abuse against delivery riders will not be tolerated.”

Concluding the letter, the businesses outlined the importance of delivery riders to their sector: “The UK hospitality and retail industries play a vital role in the UK’s economy and delivery riders are integral to that. Protecting them must be a priority for us all.”

ENDS

The letter to the Home Secretary reads:

Dear Home Secretary,

We are writing to you as leaders of some of the UK’s largest and most loved restaurants and retailers to call for urgent action to protect delivery riders and ask for your support for the ‘Right to Ride Safely’ campaign.

We welcome the UK Government’s plans to make our streets safer by delivering the accountability and resources needed to tackle crime effectively and our proposals support that commitment.

Delivery riders, like those riding with Deliveroo, are an essential lifeline for our industry, connecting our businesses to homes, workplaces and communities nationwide. They help us keep the UK’s hospitality and retail sectors thriving, ensure our customers receive the meals they love and play a vital role in boosting high streets and local economies.

Yet, many of these dedicated and hard working individuals are subjected to abuse while doing their job. Deliveroo has reported a 28% increase in abusive incidents toward riders. There are real people behind these numbers - people who face physical and verbal assault, racism, sexism and theft. It’s time for the Government to act and send a clear message: abuse against delivery riders will not be tolerated.

That is why we are backing Deliveroo’s ‘Right to Ride Safely’ campaign to include better protections for delivery riders in the upcoming Crime & Policing Bill.

The Government has rightly committed to creating a standalone offence of assaulting or threatening our retail workers when they’re at their place of work, but this stops short of protecting delivery riders when they are on a delivery.

The Government must extend the scope of the offence so it applies for the entire duration of a delivery - from accepting the order, travelling to collect it, through to consumer drop-off. Deliveroo is also calling on the Government to make clear in the legislation that restaurants and other hospitality settings are included in the definition of a ‘retail premises’.

Deliveroo’s union partner GMB, as well as the British Retail Consortium, have already backed the ‘Right to Ride Safely’ campaign and our proposals would safeguard hundreds of thousands of couriers.

The UK hospitality and retail industries play a vital role in the UK’s economy and delivery riders are integral to that. Protecting them must be a priority for us all.

Yours sincerely,

• Will Shu, CEO, Deliveroo
• Alan Morgan, CEO, The Big Table Group (Bella Italia, Cafe Rouge, Las Iguanas, Frankie & Benny’s, Chiquito, Banana Tree, Amalfi, Filling Station, Coast to Coast, Eat Italian)
• Chris Sherriff, CEO, Wingstop
• Chris Holmes, Chief Development Officer, Pizza Express
• Charlotte Exell, Online Director, Morrisons
• Thom Elliot, Co-Founder, Pizza Pilgrims
• Patrick Marrinan, CEO, Pho
• Lucy Milne, Chief Marketing Officer, Dishoom
• Mo Han, Founder, Asia Villa
• Florian de Chezelles, Co Founder, The Salad Project
• Tim Thornton, Founder, Base Face Pizza
• Jae Cho, CEO, Maguro
• Jason Balsam, Founder, Kiyoto Sushi
• Sam Akhtar, Founder, Now Peri Peri
• Ajay Gupta, Founder, Aamcha Eastern Kitchen
• André Martins, CEO, Zocalo
• Milan Kovacevich, Founder, BONA Pizza
• Emily Teh, CEO, Zambrero
• Ercan Aksu, Founder, Kervan Sofrasi
• Kaysar Miah, Founder, Brentwood Spice
• Hakan Kilic, Managing Director, Brill Burger
• Joshua Simons, Co Founder, Chicken & Blues
• Lapman Ma, Founder, Chick 'N' Bao
• Duka Nagy, Director, Smoke BBQ
• Adam Parnell, MD, Sinple Treats