'The Beast will pay the charge': Obama forced by London Mayor Boris Johnson to pay congestion charge for his armoured limo
Billed: Obama will have to pay the congestion charge for his motorcade, according to London Mayor Boris Johnson
Last updated at 10:49 PM on 27th May 2011
Barack Obama will have to pay the London congestion charge for his mammoth security vehicle 'The Beast', London Mayor Boris Johnson said today.Each car in the President's huge fleet, including the notorious armoured Cadillac, will be billed $16 for journeys made through the centre of London in peak time during his state visit.
'Our roads were not closed during the President's visit so his motorcade will pay. The Beast will pay the charge, I'm delighted to say,' Mr Johnson said.
The Mayor of London has put his foot down after speaking to Mr Obama about the U.S. embassy's refusal to pay $8.7million in fines incurred while driving in London's congestion zone.
The embassy claim it is immune from paying the charge because it is technically a tax, which should be reserved for UK residents alone.
Mr Johnson, however, remains defiant on the issue and told the U.S. President during a state banquet at Buckingham Palace that his fleet would not be receiving preferential treatment.
'We had a very friendly conversation. Suffice to say discussions will be ongoing,' the Mayor told the London Evening Standard.
'We didn't charge the Pope when he was here because all the roads were closed, so the Popemobile was exempt. But this was different.'
The full cost to Mr Obama's motorcade has not yet been calculated.
A spokesman for Mr Johnson's office added: 'They already owe £5.3million so it is probable the bill for the motorcade will just go on top of that.'
According to Transport for London, foreign diplomatic missions in the English capital currently owe a huge $83 million in unpaid congestion charges.
A spokesman insisted President Obama would be treated like any other driver in London.
Beast: The Presidential motorcade arrives at Downing Street, London this week
Motorcade: The President's fleet is not exempt from the congestion charge
'The presidential motorcade is subject to the congestion charge. Any vehicle, regardless of where it is registered, which is identified within the congestion charging zone during the hours of operation without a valid charge, discount or exemption may be subject to a penalty. 'Transport for London and the Mayor will continue to pursue all unpaid congestion charge fees and related penalty charge notices,' he said.
The U.S. Embassy, however, remained insistent it will not pay the fines, including the fee for 'The Beast' and the rest of the President's motorcade.
A spokeswoman told AFP: 'Our position on the congestion charge is based on the 1960 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which prohibits the imposition of this sort of tax on diplomatic missions. It is a position shared by many other diplomatic missions in London.
'The U.S. Embassy in London conscientiously abides by all UK laws, including paying fines for all traffic violations, such as parking and speeding violations.'
The news comes at the end of a bad week for The Beast. On Monday the bullet-proof limo got stuck on a ramp in Dublin during the President's European trip.
'There was a loud kind of bang, metal-on-metal, grinding, crunching noise and the car was stuck,' Irish state radio station RTE reported.
