The female driver who won a landmark employment case against Uber this week used to run a phone-sex service that allegedly employed workers illegally. She also used to be a man…

The California labor commission ruled Barbara in Ann Berwick’s favour that an Uber driver is an employee, not a contractor. The cab firm currently operates as a logistics company, connecting drivers and passengers – if they are forced to recognise all contractors as employees, their costs will rocket and their business model will be destroyed.

In her pre-Uber days, Ms Berwick’s phone sex company employed girls as independent contractors, yet, according to one former phone-sex operator, dictated their hours. Making them employees in the eyes of Californian law…