Uber should not be shut down but instead should comply better with labour and safety standards, British prime minister Theresa May has said.

According to Reuters, she told business leaders meeting in Davos: "We need to make sure that our employment law keeps pace with the way that technology is shaping modern working practices."

"Take the example of Uber … a company that has got things wrong along the way, with safety issues and concerns over protections for its workers.

"The answer isn't to shut Uber down but rather to address those concerns and to establish and enforce the standards and protections that can make this technology work for customers and employees alike."

Uber has been refused licence renewal in the UK capital London but drivers continue to operate as the company goes through a court appeal process recently estimated to take years.

Transport for London (TfL) deemed Uber unfit to run a taxi service and refused to renew its licence last September.

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Uber previously said it was "determined to make things right", according to the BBC.

Asked about how long the appeals process could last at a monthly question session, London mayor Sadiq Khan said: "My understanding is that it could go on for a number of years."

TfL's concerns include Uber's approach to carrying out background checks on drivers and reporting serious criminal offences.

Some 3.5m passengers and 40,000 drivers use the Uber app in London.

Uber's licence expired in October.