EXCLUSIVE French cabbie says David Lammy 'lost it' then 'acted like a thug' during row over £600 fare - before leaving the back of his taxi 'covered in rubbish'

Daily Mail​

15-05-2025

A French taxi driver has accused Foreign Secretary David Lammy of 'acting like a thug' and 'losing it' during a furious row over a £600 taxi fare.
Nassim Mimun, 40, said he was left feeling 'scared' during a trip delivering Mr Lammy, 52, and his 53-year-old artist wife, Nicola Green, to an Alpine ski resort.
Mr Mimun was tracked down by the Mail to his home in Avignon after prosecutors opened an investigation into the bitter row.
It includes allegations that Mr Lammy and his wife both became 'very aggressive' after refusing to pay the extra £600 as part of the cost of the journey, which lasted almost six hours.
He claimed that Mr Lammy 'snatched the receipt from his hand' when he said it was up to the passengers to pay €700 (£588) out of a €1,550 (£1,305) total fare - the rest of which was covered by a transfer service used to book the trip.
Mr Mimun also said he had exposed 'a very serious security breach', as he had not been told he had one of the most senior members of the British government in the back of his Ford Kuga.
He added that the couple had left his car 'in a filthy state', and shared pictures of the back seat with MailOnline.
Mr Lammy has vehemently denied any wrongdoing via the Foreign Office, saying 'the fare was paid in full,' and they are counter-suing Mr Mimun for driving off with their luggage. When approached for comment regarding the latest claims today, they repeated the same statement.
Meanwhile Mr Mimun has been charged with theft, according to the local prosecutor, with the Foreign Office stating that Mr Lammy and his wife 'have been named as victims in this matter'.
MailOnline also understands that the driver allegedly threatened Ms Green, who was sat beside him, by opening a compartment between the seats and showing her a knife.
Mr Mimun insists that he did not knowingly take the couple's bags - claiming instead that he decided to go to the police station to lodge a complaint when they refused to pay and had not realised the luggage was still in his vehicle.
When he got there, he said, he handed the bags over to police, who worked out that they belonged to the government official and his wife.
Recounting the journey on the evening of April 10, Mr Mimun said he had not been told whom he was picking up in Forli, near Bologna, Italy.
Mr Mimun said the job had been booked through Get Transfer, a transfer company which regularly takes passengers up into the Alps.
'There was no names of any of the passengers on the booking slip,' he said. 'Get Transfer just said my passengers were ordinary people.
'I'd received a request from Get Transfer for a Mercedes S-Class for the trip, presumably because the client wanted an upgrade, but I didn't have one.
'The rate for an S-Class for ordinary people is 3500 euros per day, and for VIPs and government people it goes up to 5,100 euros per day.
'I requested an extra 700 euros for the Kuga, because I realised when they got in that they were VIPs. There luggage made that clear.
'When I found out who Mr Lammy was, later on, I also realised that he had put my life in danger. There were no bodyguards or anything.'
Mr Lammy and his wife had just finished accompanying King Charles and Queen Camilla on a three-day State Visit to Italy.
'Get Transfer were supposed to pay me the full fare, but they stopped the payment,' said Mr Mimun.'
The driver said it was up to the passengers to pay €700 (£600) out of a €1,550 total fare.
'If I had been told he was a VIP representing a foreign government, I would have had to declare my identity to the French embassy in Italy and Switzerland ,' said Mr Mimun.
'Nobody told me they were VIPs, let alone part of the British government,' said Mr Mimun.
'When I dropped the couple off in France, and asked for the extra money, Mr Lammy lost it. He was acting like a thug.
'Because I was scared of Mr Lammy's behaviour, I drove off from them. The doors of the car were open, and I had no idea their luggage was still in my car.
'It was only when I got to the police station that I realised that the luggage was still there. It wasn't stolen, I handed it to the police. Everything was handed over, including a briefcase with a code to open it.
'There was a rolled up artwork, that lawyers told me was worth millions of euros.
'I retain a document proving nothing was paid for the extra, and a copy is now with police and prosecutors.'
Officers found two diplomatic passports and two licence plates, as well as a coded briefcase, in the boot of the taxi, allowing them to formally identify Mr Lammy and his wife.
'I'm licensed to transport VIPs, I got my licence in 2007, but, again, I wasn't told Mr Lammy was a VIP,' said Mr Mimun.
'If I'd known Mr Lammy was such an important government figure, I would have charged a lot more. Nobody told me he was so senior.
'In this type of transfer, we're driving special people, with suitcases and sensitive documents. All of that comes at a price. And they could very well have been armed, too.'
Mr Mimun also complained about Mr Lammy and his wife leaving his car 'in a filthy state'.
'There was rubbish all over the place – you'd expect people like this to show more respect,' Mr Mimun added.
The driver filed a formal complaint, leading the Bonneville prosecutor's office to open an investigation.
Bonneville prosecutor Boris Duffau confirmed that the taxi driver was being charged with theft following a police investigation.
He will now face a court hearing on November 3 to face the charge of 'fraudulently removing luggage and cash' after he drove off with Lammy's belongings in the boot.
'An investigation has been opened following a disagreement regarding the payment of a taxi ride between Italy and France,' Mr Duffau told the BBC.
'He has been charged with theft (of luggage and cash) to the detriment of Nicola Green and David Lindon Lammy.'
Mr Duffau earlier said: 'The stories between the two parties are not the same. Of course, the passengers are not saying the same thing as the driver when he filed a complaint.
'The passengers have assured that the driver had already been paid. The driver said the opposite.'
Mr Mimun will now face a court hearing on November 3 to face the charge of 'fraudulently removing luggage and cash' after he drove off with Lammy's belongings in the boot.
In addition to filing a complaint with local authorities, the driver also complained to the British Embassy in Paris, saying he simply wanted to be paid.
The FCDO said yesterday and today that it strongly disputes the taxi driver's version of events and that the fare had been 'paid in full'.
'The foreign secretary and his wife are named as victims in this matter and the driver has been charged with theft,' a spokesperson said.