A FURIOUS taxi driver allegedly sped off with David Lammy’s luggage after the Foreign Secretary was accused of not paying the £600 fare.
The Labour chief was taking the six-hour ride on April 10 from Forli, near Bologna in Italy, to the posh French ski resort of Flaine in the Alps.
But the taxi driver has alleged that Lammy, 52, “became aggressive” during a row over pay at the end of the 360 mile trip.
Lammy was with his 53-year-old artist wife, Nicola Green, at the time after the pair had been in Italy for King Charles’ state visit.
A Whitehall source said Lammy was a victim in the incident and all fees were paid in advance.
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.”
Lammy and Green are now counter-suing the driver for taking off with their luggage.
According to the driver’s account to French newspaper La Provence, Lammy allegedly took the receipt directly from his hand when informed about the passengers’ responsibility to pay €700 (£588) of the €1,550 (£1,305) total fare.
The remainder was covered by the transport company that was used to book the trip.
When Lammy and his wife allegedly refused to pay, the driver said he left them at their Haute Savoie destination and complained to local cops.
During the investigation, authorities reportedly discovered two diplomatic passports, two license plates, and a coded briefcase in the taxi’s trunk, which helped in confirming the identities of Lammy and his wife.
Speaking in an interview, the unnamed driver from Avignon described the incident that took place on the night of April 10-11 as a situation where he was subjected to assault and violence by individuals linked to a British embassy during an international trip, as they allegedly refused to settle the payment.
“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 driver said that had he known who Lammy was he would have charged “much more”.
He said: “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.”
Following the row the driver filed a formal complaint, leading the Bonneville prosecutor’s office to open an investigation.
Lammy and Green are said to have counter-sued the driver for “fraudulently removing luggage and cash” from them in his speedy getaway.
Bonneville prosecutor Boris Duffau confirmed the legal complaint against Lammy and his wife, and that the driver had counter-sued.
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”.
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.
