Sadiq Khan's car tax conviction withdrawn after London mayor targeted by 'scam'

A car tax conviction against Lord Sadiq Khan has been withdrawn after the London mayor was targeted by a "scam".

The 55-year-old politician was prosecuted by the DVLA last month for failing to tax a Nissan Micra. He was handed a £220 fine in a controversial fast-track court process.

When the criminal case was highlighted by the Press Association, City Hall said the vehicle did not belong to Lord Khan and had been wrongly registered in his name.

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The case was formally reopened at a magistrates' court hearing at Hereford Justice Centre on Thursday, where it was then withdrawn by a panel of magistrates following a request from the DVLA.

Neither Lord Khan nor a representative from the DVLA were present for the one-minute hearing.

The London mayor faced a wave of protests after he expanded the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to cover the whole of the capital in 2023.

Some motorists said they planned to register their car in Lord Khan's name, to make him liable for the £12.50 daily charge.

The prosecution was brought by the DVLA through the Single Justice Procedure (SJP), a fast-track process which allows magistrates to sit in private to deal with low-level criminal cases.

Lord Khan was found guilty on 18 August after no plea was entered to the charge. He was ordered to pay a £220 fine, £85 in costs, and settle the £35.84 bill for unpaid tax on the Micra.

Court documents showed that DVLA letters about the unpaid tax bill were sent to Gordon Ramsay's east London restaurant, instead of the nearby Transport for London offices.

The DVLA, which uses the SJP system to prosecute thousands of people over unpaid car tax and insurance bills every week, has so far refused to explain how it ended up prosecuting Mayor Khan.

It is understood the agency relies on motorists to provide accurate details for their vehicles, and it is a criminal offence to deliberately provide false or misleading vehicle registration details.

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Lord Khan was prosecuted after the annual tax on the blue Nissan Micra, which was first registered in 2002, ran out in September last year.

The DVLA accused the mayor of being the keeper of the vehicle when it was spotted as untaxed on 24 January, telling the court that his name and date of birth appeared against the car on official records held by the government.

The agency said it proceeded with a criminal prosecution after a letter asking for confirmation of the identity of the car owner went unanswered in January.

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