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Sadiq Khan convicted over untaxed car he says he does not own; DVLA reviewing case
London Mayor Sadiq Khan was convicted and fined £220 under the Single Justice Procedure for failing to tax a Nissan Micra that City Hall insists does not belong to him. A spokesperson called the conviction a 'scam,' and the DVLA is reviewing the case after letters were sent to the wrong address.
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London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been convicted and fined in a fast-track court system after being accused of not taxing a 24-year-old Nissan Micra. The Labour politician, 55, was found guilty by a magistrate last month of keeping an unlicensed vehicle, in a criminal prosecution brought by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
The magistrate, sitting in a private hearing of the Single Justice Procedure in Herefordshire, convicted Khan in his absence and ordered him to pay a £220 fine, £85 in costs, and settle the £35.84 bill for unpaid tax on the Micra. Court records show Khan 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.
City Hall denies ownership, cites scam
City Hall officials have said the car does not belong to either the Mayor or Transport for London (TfL). A spokesperson for Khan called the conviction a scam, stating: "This is a scam, which is a crime. It's not the first time the Mayor has been victim of a scam involving people falsely stating that Sadiq is the owner of a vehicle. Such behaviour is illegal, and the DVLA are aware."
The spokesperson said Khan is the victim in this case and should not have been prosecuted and convicted. A source close to the mayor told Metro that the "vehicle doesn't belong to him," adding: "It's a scam, and it's not the first time that people have registered a vehicle with Sadiq."
Letters sent to wrong address
The DVLA said the vehicle was spotted untaxed on January 24 and told the court that Khan's name and date of birth appeared against the car on official records held by the government. The agency said a letter asking for confirmation of the identity of the car owner, which was sent to the wrong address, went unanswered in January, leading to a criminal prosecution on August 18 after no plea was entered to the charge.
Court documents show that DVLA letters addressed to the mayor about the unpaid tax bill were sent to Gordon Ramsay's east London restaurant, instead of the nearby TfL offices. The DVLA sent its letters to 9 Endeavour Square, two minutes away from the TfL base at 5 Endeavour Square. The court also sent a record of conviction to the restaurant, ordering 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."
DVLA review and possible reopening
After the Press Association flagged the criminal conviction to the DVLA on Tuesday, officials confirmed they are reviewing the case and investigating the circumstances of the prosecution. The DVLA has said it is reviewing the case and investigating the circumstances.
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. Khan could argue that he did not know about the criminal case because the letters were addressed to the wrong building. Once reopened, he could petition the DVLA to withdraw the prosecution if it can be shown that he was wrongly accused, or enter a not guilty plea. Alternatively, the DVLA could apply to the court itself for the case to be reopened.
The mayor, who became Baron Khan of Tooting after being appointed to the House of Lords in July, could have to appear in court in person to try to overturn the conviction.
Single Justice Procedure under scrutiny
The Single Justice Procedure was introduced in 2015 as a cheaper method of dealing with low-level criminal cases. It allows magistrates to sit alone and in private to deal with cases without the respondent or their lawyers present. Critics have dubbed it "conveyor belt justice." The system is currently under government review. In 2024, around 59,000 train fare evasion convictions had to be overturned for being unlawful.
Online records show the Nissan Micra was taxed again in February this year.
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Framing: Headline emphasizes the conviction and the ironic detail that Khan denies owning the car.
Facts Included:
Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has been convicted and fined in a fast-track court system after being accused of not taxing a 24-year-old Nissan Micra.
The Labour politician, 55, was found guilty by a magistrate last month of keeping an unlicensed vehicle, in a criminal prosecution brought by the DVLA.
DVLA letters addressed to the mayor about the unpaid tax bill were sent to Gordon Ramsay's east London restaurant, instead of the nearby Transport for London (TfL) offices.
Court records show Khan 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 said the vehicle was spotted untaxed on 24 January and told the court that his name and date of birth appeared against the car on official records held by the government.
The agency said a letter asking for confirmation of the identity of the car owner, which was sent to the wrong address, went unanswered in January, leading to a criminal prosecution on 18 August after no plea was entered to the charge.
The DVLA said it was reviewing the case and investigating the circumstances of the prosecution.
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.
Khan could argue that he did not know about the criminal case because the letters were addressed to the wrong building.
Once reopened, he could petition the DVLA to withdraw the prosecution if it can be shown that he was wrongly accused, or enter a not guilty plea.
Framing: Highlights the conviction and the irony of the car he denies owning
Facts Included:
Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has been convicted and fined in a fast-track court system after being accused of not taxing a 24-year-old Nissan Micra.
The Labour politician, 55, was found guilty by a magistrate last month of keeping an unlicensed vehicle, in a criminal prosecution brought by the DVLA.
DVLA letters addressed to the mayor about the unpaid tax bill were sent to Gordon Ramsay's east London restaurant, instead of the nearby Transport for London (TfL) offices.
City Hall officials said the car did not belong to the mayor or TfL.
Court records show Khan 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 said the vehicle was spotted untaxed on 24 January and told the court that his name and date of birth appeared against the car on official records held by the government.
The agency said a letter asking for confirmation of the identity of the car owner, which was sent to the wrong address, went unanswered in January, leading to a criminal prosecution on 18 August after no plea was entered to the charge.
The DVLA said it was reviewing the case and investigating the circumstances of the prosecution.
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.
Khan could argue that he did not know about the criminal case because the letters were addressed to the wrong building.
Once reopened, he could petition the DVLA to withdraw the prosecution if it can be shown that he was wrongly accused, or enter a not guilty plea.
Alternatively, the DVLA could apply to the court for the case to be reopened.
Framing: Headline emphasizes the conviction and the 'scam' claim, framing it as a notable event with an ironic twist. — Skeptical and sympathetic toward the mayor, with an undercurrent of criticism of the judicial process.
Facts Included:
Lord Sadiq Khan of Tooting has been convicted and fined in a fast-track court system over an alleged motoring offence.
The Mayor of London was accused of not taxing a 24-year-old Nissan Micra, but it is understood that vehicle does not belong to him.
He was convicted last month of keeping an unlicensed vehicle in a criminal prosecution brought by the DVLA.
It was heard in a private hearing of the Single Justice Procedure (SJP) in Herefordshire.
A spokesperson for Lord Khan told The Express: “This is a scam, which is a crime. It’s not the first time the Mayor has been victim of a scam involving people falsely stating that Sadiq is the owner of a vehicle. Such behaviour is illegal, and the DVLA are aware.”
After Lord Khan's expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), critical motorists said they planned to register their car in the mayor’s name.
The DVLA is now reviewing the case and investigating the circumstances of the prosecution.
Court documents show that DVLA letters addressed to the mayor about the unpaid tax bill were sent to Gordon Ramsay’s east London restaurant, instead of the nearby TfL offices.
The Single Justice Procedure was invented in 2015 as a cheaper method of dealing with low-level criminal cases.
Critics of the system have dubbed it “conveyor belt justice”.
The system is currently under Government review.
In Lord Khan’s case, court records 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 2025.
The DVLA accused him of being the keeper of the vehicle when it was spotted as being untaxed on January 24, telling the court that his name and date of birth appear against the car on official records held by the Government.
The agency claimed a letter asking for confirmation of the identity of the car owner went unanswered in January, leading to a criminal prosecution.
Lord Khan serves as the chairman of TfL as part of his mayoral role, and the organisation has its offices on the 9th floor of 5 Endeavour Square in Stratford.
However, court papers show the DVLA sent its letters to 9 Endeavour Square, a two-minute walk away from the TfL base.
Magistrate Surinder Gidda, sitting at Herefordshire Magistrates’ Court, convicted Lord Khan on August 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.
Lord Khan could argue that he did not know about the criminal case because the letters were addressed to the wrong building.
Framing: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says he is victim of scam after car tax conviction
Facts Included:
Mayor of London Lord Sadiq Khan of Tooting says he has fallen victim to a scam after being convicted and fined for not taxing a 24-year-old Nissan Micra.
The Labour politician, aged 55, was prosecuted last month by the DVLA for keeping an unlicensed vehicle and fined £220 by a court in Herefordshire.
City Hall insisted the Nissan Micra does not belong to Lord Khan and has been wrongly registered in his name.
A spokesperson for the mayor said he is the victim in this case and should not have been prosecuted and convicted.
The spokesperson stated: 'This is a scam, which is a crime.'
The spokesperson said it was not the first time the mayor had been the victim of a scam involving people falsely stating that Sadiq is the owner of a vehicle.
The prosecution was brought by the DVLA through the Single Justice Procedure.
The DVLA has said it is investigating the circumstances of the prosecution of Lord Khan.
The mayor was found guilty by a magistrate on August 18 after no plea was entered to the charge.
Court documents show that DVLA letters addressed to the mayor about the unpaid tax bill were sent to Gordon Ramsay’s east London restaurant.
The mayor, who became Baron Khan of Tooting after being appointed to the House of Lords in July, could have to appear in court in person to try to overturn the conviction.
The Single Justice Procedure was invented in 2015 and has been dubbed 'conveyor belt justice' by critics.
In 2024, around 59,000 train fare evasion convictions had to be overturned for being unlawful.
The DVLA accused Lord Khan of being the keeper of the vehicle when it was spotted as being untaxed on January 24.
The agency said a letter asking for confirmation of the identity of the car owner went unanswered in January, leading to a criminal prosecution.
Magistrate Surinder Gidda, sitting at Herefordshire Magistrates' Court, convicted Lord Khan on August 18.
Online records show the Nissan Micra was taxed again in February this year.
Framing: Emphasizes Khan's conviction and the irony that he 'does not own' the car. — Critical and questioning, with a focus on potential injustice and system flaws.
Facts Included:
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan convicted and fined under Single Justice Procedure for failing to tax a 24-year-old Nissan Micra.
City Hall officials say the car does not belong to the Mayor or TfL.
DVLA reviewing the case after Press Association flagged it.
DVLA letters sent to Gordon Ramsay's restaurant instead of TfL offices.
The Single Justice Procedure allows magistrates to sit alone and in private.
Critics call the system 'conveyor belt justice'.
Around 59,000 train fare evasion convictions overturned in 2024.
DVLA accused Khan of being the keeper of the vehicle.
Magistrate Surinder Gidda convicted Khan in his absence.
Court sent record of conviction to the restaurant, ordering payment within 28 days.
Khan could apply to reopen the case or the DVLA could apply.
Framing: Headline emphasizes Sadiq Khan's conviction and the paradox that he does not own the car, implying unjust conviction. — Sympathetic to Khan and critical of the judicial system.
Facts Included:
Mayor of London Lord Sadiq Khan has been convicted and fined in a controversial fast-track court system after being accused of not taxing a 24-year-old Nissan Micra.
The Labour politician, 55, was found guilty by a magistrate last month of keeping an unlicensed vehicle, in a criminal prosecution brought by the DVLA.
City Hall officials say that the car does not belong to either the Mayor or Transport for London (TfL), raising the possibility that he has been wrongly convicted.
After the Press Association flagged the criminal conviction to the DVLA on Tuesday, officials confirmed they are reviewing the case and investigating the circumstances of the prosecution.
In a further twist, court documents show that DVLA letters addressed to the Mayor about the unpaid tax bill were sent to Gordon Ramsay’s east London restaurant, instead of the nearby TfL offices.
Magistrate Surinder Gidda, sitting at Herefordshire Magistrates’ Court, convicted Lord Khan on August 18 after no plea had been entered to the charge.
Framing: Emphasizes that Sadiq Khan was 'wrongly' fined for a car he does not own, using quotation marks to cast doubt on the fine's legitimacy. — sympathetic to Khan and critical of the process
Facts Included:
Sadiq Khan was fined over an untaxed old Nissan Micra, which he does not own.
The DVLA spotted the untaxed 24-year-old blue Nissan Micra in January.
The DVLA accused Lord Khan of being the keeper of the car as his name and date of birth appeared on official records.
City Hall sources have said the registration in his name is a 'scam' as the car is not owned by him nor Transport for London.
The magistrate used Single Justice Procedure (SJP), a process where a case can be decided only on paper without the respondent or their lawyers present.
SJP was widely criticised when tens of thousands of train fare evasions were overturned in 2024 as being unlawful.
A source close to the mayor confirmed to Metro that the 'vehicle doesn't belong to [him]' and said 'It's a scam, and it's not the first time that people have registered a vehicle with [his name]'.
During the upheaval over the ULEZ expansion, some motorists threatened to wrongly register their car in the mayor's name.
DVLA has said the letter asking for confirmation of the vehicle's keeper was not answered in January, prompting the criminal prosecution.
Court papers seen by the Press Association show that the agency's letters addressed to the mayor about the tax bill were sent to Gordon Ramsay's east London restaurant, not the nearby TfL offices.
When the Press Association flagged the case, DVLA officials said the case is being reviewed.
Lord Khan might end up having to appear in court in person to overturn the conviction.
AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the mastheads we found asserting that specific claim — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimMayor of London Sadiq Khan was convicted and fined £220 for not taxing a 24-year-old Nissan Micra.
ClaimThe spokesperson said it was not the first time the mayor had been the victim of a scam involving people falsely stating that Sadiq is the owner of a vehicle.
ClaimThe mayor, who became Baron Khan of Tooting after being appointed to the House of Lords in July, could have to appear in court in person to try to overturn the conviction.
ClaimOnce the case is reopened, Sadiq Khan could petition the DVLA to withdraw the prosecution if it can be shown that he was wrongly accused, or enter a not guilty plea.