Sadiq Khan convicted of failing to tax car he ‘does not own’
Mayor of London faces £340 court bill after DVLA sent letters to Gordon Ramsay restaurant near TfL offices
Lord Khan of Tooting
City Hall officials have said the 24-year-old Nissan Micra does not belong to Lord Khan nor Transport for LondonCredit: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images
Telegraph Reporters
Published 02 September 2026 7:24am BST
The Mayor of London has been convicted and fined for failing to tax a 24-year-old Nissan Micra he claims he does not own.
Last month, a magistrate found Lord Khan of Tooting guilty of keeping an unlicensed vehicle in a criminal prosecution brought by the DVLA.
The magistrate, sitting in a private hearing of the Single Justice Procedure in Herefordshire, convicted Lord Khan in his absence and ordered that he pay a £220 fine, £85 in costs, and settle the £35.84 bill for unpaid tax on the vehicle.
However, City Hall officials say that the car does not belong to either the Mayor or Transport for London (TfL).
On Tuesday, officials confirmed they were reviewing the case and investigating the circumstances of the prosecution.
After Lord Khan expanded the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) to cover the whole of London, motorists said they planned to register their car in the the mayor’s name in protest against the measure – supposedly to make him liable for the £12.50 daily charge.
Mayor might have to appear in court
Court documents show that DVLA letters addressed to the mayor about the unpaid tax bill were sent to Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in east London, instead of the nearby TfL offices.
The mayor, who became Lord Khan of Tooting after he was appointed to the House of Lords in July, now faces the possibility of having to appear in court to overturn the conviction.
The court sent a record of conviction to the Gordon Ramsay restaurant, ordering Lord Khan to pay the £340.84 court bill within 28 days or face the prospect of increased fines, bailiffs, or even “a warrant for your arrest to bring you to court”.
The mayor was convicted and fined under the controversial Single Justice Procedure, which was invented in 2015 as a cheaper way to deal with low-level criminal cases, in which magistrates hand out convictions in private rather than sit in open court.
In Lord Khan’s case, court records seen by the Press Association show he was prosecuted by the DVLA after the annual tax on the blue Nissan Micra, which was first registered in 2002, ran out in September last year.
The DVLA claimed the mayor was the keeper of the vehicle when it had been seen that it was untaxed on Jan 24, telling the court that his name and date of birth appeared against the car on official records.
The agency said a letter asking for confirmation of the identity of the car owner had gone unanswered in January, leading to a criminal prosecution.
No plea entered
Lord Khan is also the chairman of TfL, which has its offices in 5 Endeavour Square in Stratford.
But court papers show the DVLA sent its letters to 9 Endeavour Square, a two-minute walk from the offices, in a building where Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen, Bar & Rooftop occupies the top floor.
Surinder Gidda, a magistrate, sitting at Herefordshire magistrates’ court, convicted Lord Khan on Aug 18 after no plea had been entered to the charge.
Defendants who believe they have been wrongly convicted of a crime in their absence can apply for the case to be reopened, typically by appearing in person in front of a judge to make a statutory declaration.
Once the case is reopened, he could petition the DVLA to withdraw the prosecution if it can be shown that he has been wrongly accused, or enter a not guilty plea.
Alternatively, the DVLA could apply to the court itself for the case to be reopened.
Great wheeze!
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