David Lammy has been a victim of theft after a taxi driver allegedly drove off with his ministerial briefcase and diplomatic passport.
The Foreign Secretary is said to have been accused by a taxi driver of not paying a £590 fare after taking a six-hour ride from Italy to France. The Foreign Office "totally refuted" the allegations and said the fare was paid in full. It said the driver has been charged with theft and a legal process is ongoing.
The driver allegedly collected Mr Lammy and his wife Nicole Green on April 10 at the town of Forli near Bologna. They had just spent three days in Italy, accompanying King Charles and Queen Camilla on a state visit, and were heading on to the French ski resort of Flaine, in the Haute Savoie.
It is reported that the couple became "aggressive" when they were asked to pay more money. The driver told French newspaper La Provence that Mr Lammy "took the receipt from my hand" when he said it was up to the passengers to pay €700 (£588) out of a €1,550 (£1,305) total fare. The remainder was covered by the transport company that was used to book the trip.
When Mr Lammy and his wife allegedly refused to pay, the driver said he left them at their destination and complained to local police. Officers then allegedly 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.
The driver filed a formal complaint, leading the Bonneville prosecutor's office to open an investigation. Mr Lammy and his wife have said to have counter-sued the driver for ‘fraudulently removing luggage and cash’ from them, by driving off.
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Bonneville prosecutor Boris Duffau confirmed the legal complaint against Mr Lammy and his wife, and 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 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 also complained to the British Embassy in Paris, saying he simply wanted to be paid.
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.”