France’s Macron under fire over Uber contacts as minister

French President Emmanuel Macron came under pressure on Monday from opposition politicians over his reported links with ride-hailing company Uber Technologies during his years as economy minister.

“A minister can’t be a lobbyist! Light needs to be shone on this case. France cannot be the playground of big private companies,” senior France Insoumise lawmaker Alexis Corbiere said on Twitter.

The Guardian reported that while other members of the then-Socialist government had misgivings about Uber’s push onto taxis’ turf, Macron exchanged text messages with Uber executives, who identified him as a key behind-the-scenes ally.