The senior Reform UK politician has written a letter to Deliveroo’s CEO and Board of Directors.
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson (Image: Getty)
Zia Yusuf has warned Deliveroo that it will “pay a heavy price” if the company employs illegal migrants under a Reform UK government. The party’s home affairs spokesperson accused the food delivery firm of “sending dangerous men to people’s homes” after one of its workers was jailed for 21 years after being found guilty of three counts of rape and two counts of assaulting a female by penetration.
Salem Rekoub, 28, arrived in Britain on a tourist visa in 2023 and did not have the right to work in the UK. In a letter to Deliveroo’s CEO and Board of Directors, Mr Yusuf accused Deliveroo of “funding… monsters” by “enabling their illegal working”. The senior Reform politician also listed other examples of Deliveroo drivers being imprisoned for crimes against women.
One of the men mentioned was an asylum seeker jailed for attempted rape, while another was reportedly using a ‘rented’ Deliveroo account when he sexually assaulted a woman at her home.
A Deliveroo spokesperson last week said they were “appalled” by Rekoub’s “horrific” crimes.
They continued: “This individual was not a verified rider on our platform, but a criminal who abused our systems to gain access illegally.
“We have since significantly strengthened the measures to control who can access our platform – and continue to invest to combat any abuse.”
The prosecution told the court there had been “incomplete checks” as to whether Rekoub, from Algeria, should have been working.
In his letter to Deliveroo, Mr Yusuf questioned which checks were incomplete and why.
He added: “How many more dangerous men like Rekoub are ‘abusing’ your systems?”
Mr Yusuf warned Reform’s proposed ‘Deliveroo Law’ would “make CEOs and directors of companies profiting from illegal workers personally and criminally liable for illegal working, regardless of knowledge of workers’ legal status”.
The planned policy, announced last month, aims to crack down on illegal working.
Mr Yusuf continued: “As Home Secretary in a Reform Government, I will pass laws that ensure that each and every one of you is held criminally liable for breaches of right-to-work regulations, and for employing illegal migrants.
“These laws will be on a ‘strict liability’ basis, so prosecutors will not have to prove intent.
“In the period before we are able to change the law, I consider you to be morally responsible for every rape, every murder, every crime committed by an illegal immigrant you allow to work for your firm.
“I hope the tragedy this woman has endured weighs heavily on your conscience.
“And make no mistake, under a Reform government you will pay a heavy price for your crimes.”
The Express understands Deliveroo will respond to Mr Yusuf’s letter privately.
Deliveroo has zero tolerance for criminal and violent behaviour, and is introducing additional measures to counter any abuse of its platform, it is understood.
An Express investigation last year found that some migrants arriving in the UK on small boats are working illegally as delivery drivers within hours of arriving in the country.