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Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
David Lammy forced to deny having a GUN with him during French ski trip visit as taxi row deepens
David Lammy has been forced to deny he was carrying a gun during a chaotic taxi trip which he is alleged to have dodged a £590 fare on. The Foreign Secretary has been plunged into a humiliating row after taxi driver Nassim Mimun, 40, claimed Mr Lammy and his wife, Nicola Green, refused to pay the fare for a 360-mile journey from Italy to France. The Foreign Office has scrambled to extinguish the claims, insisting that Mr Lammy and his wife had paid the fare in advance, were victims and the driver has been charged with theft after driving off with their luggage. Lammy, the Labour MP for Tottenham, and his partner were travelling to the French Alps for a private holiday, having joined the King for a state visit to Italy in April. Mr Mimun claims he took the couple more than 360 miles from the Italian town of Forli to the French ski resort of Flaine. The driver claims Mr Lammy became 'aggressive' when he was asked to pay 700 euros (£590) of the 1,550 euro bill, with the rest covered by the booking service. But the taxi row has deepened today after Mr Mimun claimed the Foreign Secretary was carrying a weapon, The Sun reports. No evidence has been put forward to prove Mr Lammy had a gun and a source close to the Foreign Secretary told newspaper: 'It's a completely absurd allegation. Of course he didn't have a gun. 'The allegation speaks more to the character of the taxi driver than anything else.' Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his wife Nicola Green had spent three days in Italy accompanying King Charles on a state visit before taking the taxi to France. Lammy and Green are pictured arriving for a state banquet amid Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla's visit, at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, Italy, April 9, 2025 In court documents, it has also been revealed how Mr Mimun claimed to French officials that two cars were following them on the huge journey. Mr Lammy and his wife could be called to France to give evidence after a court hearing was set for November in relation to Mr Mimun being charged with theft. According to legal documents, Mr Mimun told prosecutors: 'When I received the transport request, the name of the victims was not mentioned nor that they were authority figures, which is what constitutes a transport risk so the tariff is not the same. 'I asked for 700 euros to be paid. They refused, and they left. He came towards me. I left in the car. I was scared, because I knew since Forli that he had a gun on him. I called the Swiss police. I pressed on the GPS, to find the nearest police station or gendarmerie, and it indicated the municipal police of Cluses. 'By coincidence, they said I stole 700 euros from them. The suitcase had a code. We were followed from Italy by two vehicles because of her husband.' Mr Mimun's on the record statement was handed to vice-prosecutor Aude Menaige in the French commune of Bonneville on May 6 - three weeks after the trip. Questions are also mounting over why Mr Lammy had no bodyguard in the car and whether or not Mr Mimun had even been vetted. Mr Mimun has accused Mr Lammy 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. He 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. The driver, meanwhile, 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. He 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. He said he handed the bags over to police, who worked out that they belonged to the government official and his wife. An ally of Mr Lammy said: 'Anyone choosing to believe made-up stories and photos from a rogue taxi driver charged with a serious crime by French prosecutors over the UK Foreign Secretary needs to get a grip.' An FCDO 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 fired by his employer and charged with theft.
Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Only a very petty country puts its foreign secretary in a minicab
Pity a man born out of his time. For generations, squaring up to an unruly Frenchman was a core pillar of the job for any British foreign secretary. Today David Lammy finds himself in a terrible bother. Here's how it unfolded. Fresh from accompanying the King and Queen on a state visit to Italy last month, Lammy and his wife, Nicola Green, returned to their family holiday in Flaine, a French ski resort that is, I learn, thanks to a pleasingly snobby description in the Mail, 'popular with Brits whose budgets don't extend to more upmarket destinations across the Swiss border'. To get them there, a Foreign Office staffer paid for a taxi costing just over £700, on the understanding that Lammy would refund the
The Sun
17-05-2025
- The Sun
David Lammy taxi fare row driver told prosecutors he thought Foreign Sec was carrying a GUN, bombshell papers reveal
THE chauffeur at the centre of David Lammy's taxi fare row told prosecutors he thought the Foreign Secretary was carrying a gun, bombshell papers reveal. Shocking documents obtained by The Sun on Sunday also reveal that Nasim Mimun, 40, claimed to French officials that two cars were following them on the 360-mile journey. 6 The prosecution files form the basis of a court hearing set for November after Mr Mimun was charged with theft. But they raise the embarrassing prospect of Mr Lammy, 52, and his wife Nicola Green, 53, being called to France to give evidence. They refer to the Foreign Secretary by his full name, David Lindon Lammy — but wrongly write LINDO — and contain several shocking allegations made by experienced VIP cabbie Mr Mimun, including the gun and cars. Further pressure was heaped on the Foreign Office last night as The Sun on Sunday can reveal Mr Lammy did not have a security detail with him during the six-hour trip from Forli in Italy to the French ski resort of Flaine. Officials are now looking into his security arrangements after the bust-up in the French Alps. The taxi driver allegedly sped off with the couple's luggage after they refused to pay an additional 700 euros (£590) which he insisted he was owed. But the Foreign Office said the fare had been paid in full before the couple had set off. Mr Mimun told prosecutors in an on-the-record statement contained in the legal documents: 'When I received the transport request, the name of the victims was not mentioned nor that they were authority figures, which is what constitutes a transport risk so the tariff is not the same. 'I asked for 700 euros to be paid. They refused, and they left. He came towards me. I left in the car. I was scared, because I knew since Forli that he had a gun on him. 'I called the Swiss police, I pressed on the GPS, to find the nearest police station or gendarmerie, and it indicated the municipal police of Cluses. Foreign Sec David Lammy shouted 'f***ing French' at me during furious row over taxi fare - I was afraid, claims driver 'By coincidence, they said I stole 700 euros from them. The suitcase had a code. We were followed from Italy by two vehicles because of her husband.' The statement was given to vice-prosecutor Aude Menaige in the south-east city of Bonneville on May 6, three weeks after the trip. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp MP slammed the humiliating saga and said: 'David Lammy and the Foreign Office have serious questions to answer. 'Most importantly, did one of our most senior ministers and top diplomats have the proper security protection? 'It beggars belief that he was able to end up in this highly embarrassing situation. 'The public expect professionalism and care from those representing the UK on the world stage, especially from those most senior. Labour must come clean.' Mr Lammy had no bodyguard in the car and it remained unclear when the booking was made and what vetting was done. Serious concerns were raised this week over whether or not Mr Mimun had been vetted at all. No evidence has yet emerged to support the claim Mr Lammy had a gun beyond Mr Mimun's statement. It would be unheard of for a British minister to carry a gun, especially overseas. And sources close to Mr Lammy said he did not have one, saying: 'It's a completely absurd allegation. Of course he didn't have a gun. 'The allegation speaks more to the character of the taxi driver than anything else.' 6 6 Mr Lammy also had no official documents with him. But in an interview with The Sun on Sunday, Mr Mimun said: 'When I bent down to pick up his luggage when we set off, I was at the height of Mr Lammy's waist, and I saw he was carrying a firearm. 'When I asked for the 700 euros extra, Mr Lammy started screaming and shouting abuse. 'I could see in my rear-view mirror that he was coming for me and — because he had a gun on him — I sped off.' Mr Mimun made several claims against the Foreign Secretary last week, which included accusing him of 'acting like a thug' and using the words 'f***ing French'. The Foreign Secretary vehemently denies any wrongdoing and said the fare was paid in full. He was travelling for a private holiday after accompanying the King and Queen on a state visit to Italy. It was understood he did not have his official red box or any sensitive documents with him. Both he and his wife have been named as victims of theft. The taxi row erupted when Mr Mimun drove Mr Lammy and his wife from Forli in Italy to Flaine, a ski village in Haute Savoie in the French Alps. Mr Lammy sat in the back of the Ford Kuga, while Ms Green was in the front. An agreed fare had already been paid to online marketplace GetTransfer when the booking was made. Mr Mimun asked for an additional £590 from Mr Lammy because of the higher risks associated with driving a VIP — but the Foreign Secretary refused. The pickup was at 5pm on April 10, and the row is said to have intensified as they got to the French Alpine town of Clunes, close to the final destination. 'Commercial dispute' The driver had a row with Ms Green before driving off with their luggage to a police station, where he made a complaint. Foreign Office sources revealed Ms Green said Mr Mimun had a knife in the glove box of his vehicle, which he opened to show her during a dispute over the fee. But Mr Mimun insisted to The Sun that it was a silver pen. He said he was not aware of any security detail travelling with Mr Lammy and his wife. An investigation into a 'commercial dispute' was opened by the Bonneville prosecutor's office in Haute-Savoie. 6 A member of the Foreign Secretary's office then contacted the driver to get the luggage back, and it was allegedly deposited at a police station with a sum of money missing from Ms Green's bag. It is thought to be equivalent to the amount the driver believed was owed to him. Mr Mimun has been charged with theft. Official sworn documents show he returned the items voluntarily, but prosecutors say it still counts as theft because of the length of time he had them. He has been placed under judicial supervision on 2,000 euros bail with a driving ban and allowed to go free ahead of his trial. He will appear in court on November 3 in Bonneville for 'theft of cash and personal belongings'. He has also shown The Sun on Sunday evidence that he has not yet received the agreed fare from GetTransfer. He is suing Mr Lammy for more than 2,664 euros (£2,241), to include interest and legal fees paid to a firm of Paris bailiffs. The money is to cover the whole fare, including the agreed fare the booker has not released to him and the VIP tariff. The driver also complained to the British Embassy in Paris, saying he just wanted to be paid. GetTransfer said: 'According to our internal records, Mr Lammy has indeed paid the full fare. 'The driver will receive payment in full by 23 May, consistent with our standard terms and conditions. 'We also have confirmation from Mr Lammy acknowledging completion of the journey, which finalises the contract between client and driver. Direct conflicts between client and driver fall outside our operational jurisdiction, as our responsibility is strictly limited to information facilitation.' The Foreign Office had been approached for comment. How the row over trip fare blew up THE Sun's revelation that Foreign Secretary David Lammy had been involved in a furious row with a driver over a taxi fare has made headlines worldwide. Here are the key dates: APRIL 10: Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his wife Nicola are collected from Forsi, Italy, at 5pm ahead of a six-hour taxi drive to Flaine. Driver Nisim Mimun demands an extra 700 euros (£590) because he was not forewarned they were high-risk individuals. APRIL 11: After arriving and rowing over the fare, Mr Mimun claims he went to the nearest police station to report the incident. He drove off with the couple's luggage and cash, but claims he realised only when he got to the police station. The luggage was later returned. The Foreign Office claims it was only after an official contacted Mr Mimun about it. APRIL 25: A bailiff demand was sent to Mr Lammy's representatives demanding payment for the fare, plus legal charges. MAY 6: Mr Mimun gives a statement to prosecutors claiming he was scared because Mr Lammy allegedly had a gun. A signed and dated statement shows Mr Mimun returned the luggage voluntarily. MAY 14: News breaks that French prosecutors were investigating a claim that Mr Lammy and his wife refused to pay a fare worth almost £600. They vehemently deny any wrongdoing and say the agreed fare was paid in full. It was revealed the driver had been charged with theft. MAY 15: Mr Mimun shares pictures with The Sun, which he claims show rubbish left in the car by the Lammys. He also accuses Mr Lammy of being 'a thug', 'a "liar' and saying 'f***ing French'. NOVEMBER 3: Mr Mimun is due to appear in court charged with theft.
Times
16-05-2025
- Times
Driver accused of stealing David Lammy's bags ‘thought he had a gun'
The French chauffeur accused of stealing cash and bags from David Lammy thought the foreign secretary had a gun, he has told a prosecutor. According to court documents seen by The Times, Nasim Mimun, 40, from Avignon, made the claim when questioned by the deputy public prosecutor in Bonneville in the French Alps on May 6. The chauffeur has been sent for trial in Bonneville on November 3 on charges of stealing luggage and €700 from Lammy and Nicola Green, the minister's wife. Foreign Office sources have also claimed that he had a knife in the glove box of his vehicle, which he opened to show to Green amid a dispute over the fee. Mimun had driven the couple on a 587km journey from Forli,
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.'
