Taxi driver says he was ‘the victim of assault’ when David Lammy and his wife ‘refused to pay £590 fare after driving them from Italy to French ski resort’

A taxi driver has claimed British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his wife Nicola Green refused to pay a fare of nearly £600 after he drove them more than 360 miles from Italy to a ski resort in France. 

The driver said he collected Lammy, 52 and his artist wife, 53, 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 alleges 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. 

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, 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. 

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. 

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

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

Lammy and his wife asked to be taken to Flaine, a ski resort in Haute Savoie, France

‘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.

‘As there is an ongoing legal process, it would be inappropriate to comment further.’