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Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Foreign Secretary says he and his wife are victims of theft but the French taxi driver says David Lammy refused to pay... so who's taking who for a ride? GUY ADAMS investigates
The scenario may be grimly familiar to many British tourists who've decided to entrust their holiday transport to a taxi driver abroad. Having negotiated a suitable fare, you hit the road. Only to discover, upon arrival at your final destination, that the fee for the journey has mysteriously – and dramatically – increased. A furious row ensues, in which the taxi driver's grasp of English seems to progressively worsen. Threats are issued and voices raised. Sometimes, the local police are called. And at the end of the whole thing, a hapless Brit is left hundreds of pounds out of pocket. All this, and more, affected one very high-profile visitor to the French Alps during the Easter holidays last month. The individual in question was one David Lammy, our Foreign Secretary. And the location in the Haute-Savoie region was Flaine, a French ski resort popular with Brits whose budgets don't extend to more up-market destinations across the Swiss border. It emerged this week that our nation's diplomat-in-chief became involved in a gloriously petty dispute with a local cabbie named Naseem Mimum on the evening of April 10. Prosecutors are investigating the altercation, which appears to have started after Mr Mimum, a 40-year-old Frenchman of Moroccan descent, asked Lammy and his wife, artist Nicola Green, to hand over almost £600 in cash upon arrival at their holiday chalet. The Foreign Secretary stands accused of 'acting like a thug' during the subsequent argument, in which he insisted that the fare had already been 'paid in full' when the six-hour journey was booked via an agency. Mimum, for his part, is alleged to have 'fraudulently removed luggage and cash' from the couple, who have claimed in a police statement that he attempted to intimidate them by opening his vehicle's glove compartment, which revealed a knife. So what really happened? Who was to blame? And how did the holder of one of Britain's great offices of State allow himself to become embroiled in an undignified, kerbside shouting match? A cab to the mountains Lammy and Green decided to visit Flaine from Italy, where they'd been accompanying King Charles on a State Visit, which had involved tours of the Colosseum and the Quirinale Palace plus a cocktail party in the garden of Villa Wolkonsky, the official residence of the UK ambassador. The four-day trip was due to wind up in the town of Ravenna on Thursday April 10, with the royal party departing from the nearby airport in Forli. The Foreign Secretary and his wife, who married in 2005 and have three children, appear to have decided the easiest way to get to their holiday on the slopes would be by taxi. A Foreign Office staffer was instructed to book a transfer to the Alpine resort. They used GetTransfer, a large taxi agency popular with British tourists, to book a small SUV for the 360-mile trip, which usually takes around six hours. The agreed fare, of around £717, seems to have then been paid directly to the firm by the UK Government. It's understood that the Lammys had agreed to refund the cost later, which would be a standard arrangement for a minister using officials to arrange what is effectively a private journey. King Charles III and UK Secretary of State David Lammy participate in a 'Clean Power for Growth' roundtable during a visit to the Mattatoio on day three of King Charles III and Queen Camilla's State visit to The Republic of Italy on April 09, 2025 The vehicle Driver Mimum had been instructed to pick up two passengers at Forli Airport at 5pm that Thursday and drive them to Flaine's main resort, a collection of large modern buildings situated at an altitude of 1600m. A copy of the booking docket seen by the Mail stated that he would be using a Ford Kuga for the journey. However a couple of days prior to the journey, the driver says GetTransfer contacted him saying the client had asked for a grander vehicle. 'I 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,' he said. 'The rate for an S-Class for ordinary people is 3,500 euros per day, and for VIPs and government people it goes up to 5,100 euros per day.' Lammy duly agreed to stick with the Kuga, a black vehicle with leather seats. Although the UK Government provides close protection for senior ministers both in the UK and when they are on official business abroad, the provision does not seem to extend to private holidays. Neither was the car searched before departure. As a result, the Foreign Secretary and his wife were waved off on the journey, stretching into the night, in a car driven by an unvetted French taxi driver who, the Lammys allege, was travelling with a knife. 'VIP' status row The driver says he realised, upon first meeting the Lammys, that the couple were important officials, telling the Mail that 'their luggage made that clear'. This discovery lies at the centre of their subsequent dispute, because GetTransfer's 'VIP' service costs almost twice as much as its standard service. In return, customers are provided with a range of benefits, from unbranded, discreet vehicles, free beverages and phone chargers, to drivers qualified to act as bodyguards. 'In this type of transfer, we're driving special people, with suitcases and sensitive documents. All of that comes at a price,' says Mimum. 'I'm licensed to transport VIPs, I got my licence in 2007, but I wasn't told Mr Lammy was a VIP. 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... 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.' During the journey into the Alps, Mr Mimum appears to have attempted to negotiate an increased fare with the agency in phone calls, without success. Alpine altercation Upon arrival in Flaine, some time around midnight, the driver began addressing his concerns over the agreed fare to Mr and Mrs Lammy, saying that it had now increased, from the original £717 to £1,305. What's more, he demanded the extra £588 in cash. What happened next is vigorously disputed but both parties agree the Foreign Secretary refused to pay, sparking a furious row. 'When I dropped the couple off in France, and asked for the extra money, Mr Lammy lost it. He was acting like a thug,' alleges Mimum, adding that the politician 'took the receipt from my hand' and committed 'assault and violence'. The Foreign Office has released a statement saying: 'We totally refute these allegations. The fare was paid in full.' At one point, Lammy disappeared into the holiday chalet. His wife, who was left alone in the car with the angry Frenchman, appears to have become seriously concerned for her safety. According to the PA news agency: 'She told police in a statement that she felt threatened and that the taxi driver had showed her a knife in his glovebox.' Lost luggage The circumstances in which the shouting match ended are again disputed. Mr Mimum alleges he decided to report his passengers to police in Cluses, the nearest open Gendarmerie, 12 miles away. '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,' he says. 'It was only when I got to the police station that I realised it 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.' Mr Mimum has also shared a picture he said showed Mr Lammy and his wife had left his car in what he called 'a filthy state' with food wrappers and empty sugar sachets strewn across the seats. He says: 'There was rubbish all over the place – you'd expect people like this to show more respect.' The Foreign Office believes the cases were only handed to police after officials rang the driver to inform him of the consequences of stealing them. However a 'considerable' sum of money was missing from Mrs Lammy's bag when it was eventually returned. Diplomatic episode According to Mr Mimum, the gendarmes found diplomatic passports, two licence plates – presumably diplomatic plates that are placed over local plates –and a coded briefcase in the boot of the taxi, allowing them to identify Lammy and his wife. 'There was also a rolled up artwork, that lawyers told me was worth millions of euros,' he has added. Again, this recollection appears to be disputed by the Foreign Secretary. His wife does not have a diplomatic passport, it was reported yesterday, while Mr Lammy was travelling on his normal document since the journey was a private trip. The Foreign Office is also keen to avoid a dispute over security protocol, with sources denying any sensitive papers or artworks were left in the vehicle. ...And so to court A local prosecutor, Boris Duffau, confirmed this week that both parties have filed legal complaints against each other. '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,' he said. 'The passengers have assured that the driver had already been paid. The driver said the opposite.' The 'commercial dispute' has apparently seen Lammy and his wife sue Mimum for 'fraudulently removing luggage and cash' from them during his speedy getaway. The driver is said to have counter-sued. Following an investigation, Mr Duffau appears to have sided with the Foreign Secretary, saying the driver will face a court hearing on November 3. 'An investigation has been opened following a disagreement regarding the payment of a taxi ride between Italy and France,' he told the BBC. 'He has been charged with theft [of luggage and cash] to the detriment of Nicola Green and David Lindon Lammy.' The Foreign Office said: 'The Foreign Secretary and his wife are named as victims in this matter and the driver has been charged with theft. As there is an ongoing legal process, it would be inappropriate to comment further.'
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Taxi driver in France charged with stealing from David Lammy and his wife
A taxi driver has been charged by French police with stealing luggage and cash from the UK's foreign secretary, David Lammy, and his wife, Nicola Green. The driver took the couple more than 600km (370 miles) from the town of Forli in Italy to the French ski resort of Flaine, Haute-Savoie, last month. The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said Lammy and his spouse were victims in the case and that the driver has been charged with theft after driving off with their luggage. It also denied that the Labour MP for Tottenham had refused to pay the driver. Whitehall sources said no sensitive material was in the pair's holiday luggage. Prosecutors opened an investigation into a 'commercial dispute' in Bonneville after the driver filed a complaint. The Bonneville prosecutor, Boris Duffau, told the BBC the taxi driver was being charged with theft. He said: 'An investigation has been opened following a disagreement regarding the payment of a taxi ride between Italy and France. 'After an investigation by French police, the Bonneville prosecutor's office has decided to prosecute the taxi driver who has been summoned to appear at the Bonneville court on 3 November 2025. 'He has been charged with theft (of luggage and cash) to the detriment of Nicola Green and David Lindon Lammy.' The driver had told French media that Lammy became 'aggressive' when asked to pay €700 (£590) of the €1,550 bill, the remainder of which was to be paid by the booking service. The fee was paid upfront to the transfer service but the driver insisted he was owed money on arrival and that he needed to be paid in cash, a source said. Green, who was speaking to the taxi driver while her husband went into the house, told police in a statement that she felt threatened and that the driver showed her a knife in his glove box, according to the PA news agency. It is understood that after he left with their luggage, a member of the foreign secretary's office contacted the driver to get it back, and it was deposited at a police station with a 'considerable' sum of money missing from Green's bag. A Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'We totally refute these allegations. The fare was paid in full. 'The foreign secretary and his wife are named as victims in this matter and the driver has been charged with theft. 'As there is an ongoing legal process, it would be inappropriate to comment further.'
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Taxi driver who claims he was 'assault victim' had 'intimidated David Lammy's wife with a KNIFE after demanding extra cash for taking the Foreign Secretary from Italy to French ski resort'
A taxi driver who claimed to be the victim of an assault at the hands of British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has been accused of intimidating his wife with a knife after demanding more cash for a 360-mile journey from Italy to France. The driver said he collected Lammy, 52 and his artist wife, 53-year-old Nicola Green, on April 10 at the town of Forli near Bologna after they had accompanied King Charles and Queen Camilla on a three-day state visit to Italy. But he alleged that Lammy 'became aggressive' when asked for payment after he drove some six hours into the night to reach Flaine, a ski village in Haute Savoie in the French Alps. But MailOnline understands the taxi driver is alleged to have threatened Green, who was sat beside him, by opening a compartment between the seats and showing her a knife. The driver claimed Lammy, who did not identify himself, '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. When they allegedly refused to pay, a claim the Foreign Office denies, the driver said he left them at their destination and drove to the local police station to lodge a complaint. Upon arriving at the police station, officers reportedly discovered two diplomatic passports and two licence plates, as well as a coded briefcase, in the boot of the taxi, allowing them to identify Lammy. The driver filed a formal complaint, leading the Bonneville prosecutor's office in Haute Savoie to open an investigation. King Charles III and UK Secretary of State David Lammy participate in a 'Clean Power for Growth' roundtable during a visit to the Mattatoio on day three of King Charles III and Queen Camilla's State visit to The Republic of Italy on April 09, 2025 But the office also told French media that Lammy and his wife are suing the driver for 'fraudulently removing luggage and cash', with the Foreign Office declaring the Foreign Secretary 'totally refutes' the allegations made against him. 'On the night of April 10-11, I was the victim of assault and violence by members of a British embassy during an international transfer, where they refused to pay me,' the driver, a man from Avignon who remains anonymous, told La Provence. 'GetTransfer, who used my services, was supposed to pay me the difference, €850 euros. 'They stopped the payment. And on the spot, the customer snatched the receipt from my hands. It's a well-known fact when you want to write the trip off as an expense report later on,' the chauffeur said. He added that, had he known who Lammy was, he would've charged 'much more'. 'They never said they were working for the government,' the driver complained. '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.' Bonneville prosecutor Boris Duffau confirmed the legal complaint against Mr Lammy and his wife, and said that the driver had countersued. Mr Duffau 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 us that the driver had already been paid. The driver said the opposite.' The unnamed driver 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 reportedly sent a notice to the British Embassy explaining the situation and requesting that the fare be settled amicably. An FCDO spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We totally refute these allegations. The fare was paid in full. The Foreign Secretary and his wife are named as victims in this matter and the driver has been charged with theft.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
French taxi driver charged with theft after David Lammy dispute
French police have charged a taxi driver with stealing luggage and cash from UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his wife Nicola driver allegedly sped off with the couple's luggage after a row over a fare for the 360-mile journey from Forli, in Italy, to the French ski resort of Flaine, in driver insisted he was owed 700 euros (£590) in cash for part of the journey not covered by an upfront payment to a booking the Foreign Office said in a statement the fare had been paid in full before they set off on their private holiday. The taxi driver had a row with Ms Green before driving off with their luggage to a police station, where he made a to French newspaper la Provence, an investigation into a "commercial dispute" was opened by the Bonneville prosecutor's office in Haute-Savoie.A member of the foreign secretary's office contacted the driver to get the luggage back, and it was allegedly deposited at a police station with a "considerable" sum of money missing from Ms Green's bag, prompting her to make a statement to prosecutor Boris Duffau told the BBC the taxi driver was now being charged with theft."An investigation has been opened following a disagreement regarding the payment of a taxi ride between Italy and France," said Mr Duffau."After an investigation by French police, the Bonneville prosecutor's office has decided to prosecute the taxi driver who has been summoned to appear at the Bonneville court on 3 November 2025."He has been charged with theft (of luggage and cash) to the detriment of Nicola Green and David Lindon Lammy."The couple had decided to take a private holiday in France after spending three days on a state visit to Italy with King Charles and Queen say they arranged their own transport, at their own expense, through booking company Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) told the BBC there were no sensitive documents or laptops in the car and the foreign secretary had been travelling on his own personal passport, rather than a diplomatic FCDO strongly disputes the taxi driver's version of events.A spokesperson said: "The fare was paid in full."The foreign secretary and his wife are named as victims in this matter and the driver has been charged with theft."As there is an ongoing legal process, it would be inappropriate to comment further."
Telegraph
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
David Lammy accused of refusing to pay £590 taxi fare
David Lammy has been accused of refusing to pay a £590 fare for a journey from Italy to France. The Foreign Secretary denies the incident, said to have occurred after he travelled for six hours and more than 360 miles, from Forli near Bologna to Flaine, a ski village in Haute Savoie in the French Alps. He and his wife, Nicola Green, had been accompanying King Charles and Queen Camilla on a three-day state visit to Italy in April. Upon arrival, Mr Lammy, 52, and Ms Green are alleged to have refused to pay the fare and became 'aggressive' according to claims by the taxi driver, who has not been named. Foreign Office sources said that the taxi ride was a personal trip, paid by Mr Lammy himself rather than by the taxpayer. Sources claimed that Mr Lammy was asked to pay more. He insisted the full amount had already been paid up front. Then, it is alleged, the taxi driver drove off with their bags. The driver is then said to have driven to a local police station to report the incident, where officers found Mr Lammy's ministerial briefcase and diplomatic passport, MailOnline reported. The chauffeur filed a formal complaint, according to reports, leading the Bonneville prosecutor's office in Haute Savoie to open an investigation. An FCDO spokesman said: 'We totally refute these allegations. The fare was paid in full. The Foreign Secretary and his wife are named as victims in this matter, and the driver has been charged with theft. 'As there is an ongoing legal process, it would be inappropriate to comment further.'
