Foreign Secretary David Lammy has been accused of shouting "f***ing French" twice during a furious row over a taxi fare.
Nasim Mimun, the 40-year-old cab driver involved in the spat, claimed Lammy got aggressive when asked to pay for a six-hour trip last month from Forli in Italy to a ski resort in the French Alps.
The driver told The Sun: “When he got out of the vehicle, he said, ‘f***ing French, f***ing French’. I was afraid.”
The French chauffeur claimed Lammy, who was travelling alongside his wife Nicola Green, had not paid his whole fare for the 362-mile overnight journey.
David Lammy accused of 'losing it' as cab driver speaks out over taxi fare row
PA
However, the dispute only arose towards the end of the six-hour drive when Mimun asked for an additional £588 fee.
Lammy and Green were said to have paid in full ahead of setting off on their journey, before Mimun claimed he needed the extra money due to the Foreign Secretary being a high-risk “VIP”.
He told The Daily Mail: “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.
“In this type of transfer, we're driving special people, with suitcases and sensitive documents.
David Lammy and his wife Nicola Green
GETTY
“All of that comes at a price. And they could very well have been armed, too.”
Despite Mimun's comments, the taxi driver is due to appear in court in November after driving away with Lammy’s belongings.
The Foreign Secretary did not have his official red box with him at the time and the couple’s luggage is not thought to have contained anything sensitive.
Prosecutor Boris Duffau said: “The driver left after the two customers had got out of his car, with their luggage still in the boot.
“He dropped them (the bags) off at a municipal police station the next day.”
Foreign Secretary David LammyPAMimun has also been placed under judicial supervision with a driving ban and £1,690 bail.
Responding to Mimun's account of the incident, a Foreign Office 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.”
However, a Lammy ally added: “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.”
