Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week or so, you’d have seen that hi-larious [sic] video of one of the Barack-mobiles getting stuck on a ramp outside the U.S. Embassy in Ireland. The U.S. President’s eight ton, “Beasts” are monsters of cars, built to withstand bullets, bombs and probably reporters’ shoes (yes, I went there).

In a cute footnote to this story, notorious car-hater environmentally-conscious London Mayor Boris Johnson is considering levying a congestion charge on each car in President Obama’s motorcade, the cost of which would be £10 (US$16) per vehicle. A spokeswoman has stated that they will not be paying the charges if billed.

“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 U.S. Embassy has consistently refused to pay these charges, and now owes somewhere in the vicinity of £5.3 million (US$8.7 million) in congestion charge fines. Mr. Johnson raised the issue of the fines with the U.S. President during a state dinner at Buckingham Palace. Mr. Johnson explains:

“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. 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.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office told the AFP: “They already owe £5.3 million so it is probable the bill for the motorcade will just go on top of that.”

A spokesman from Transport for London, which handles the congestion charges, states:”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.”

The U.S. Embassy in London, along with delegations from other countries, allege the congestion charge is a tax and therefore they have diplomatic immunity. It’s believed that they collectively owe some £51 million (US$83 million) to Transport of London in unpaid charges and fines. The exact amount owed for President Obama’s motorcade is still unknown.

By Tristan Hankins

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