𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Lord Khan needs to “come clean” after an alleged speeding fine “cover-up” was exposed, a campaigner has said. Motoring campaign group FairFuelUK called for “full transparency” over the A20 speed-limit controversy, which involves more than 66,000 drivers and more than £6.5million in fines. The Telegraph found that the Mayor of London vetoed an independent investigation into a temporary speed limit change — from 70mph to 40mph in October 2023 — which accumulated a huge amount of cash for Transport for London (TfL), the capital’s transport authority, which Lord Khan chairs.

A court acquitted a driver in October after it was presented with a document which reportedly showed the official who signed the order to change the limit did not have the authority to do so. Khan and TfL deny wrongdoing and insist that they have acted lawfully.

“We are calling on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to explain exactly what happened over the controversial temporary speed restriction on the A20 and to support a fully independent investigation,” FairFuelUK said. Howard Cox, its founder, said: “Motorists are expected to obey the law. They have every right to expect Sadiq Khan and TfL to do the same.”

“This isn’t about defending speeding. Road safety must always come first. This is about due process, transparency, and whether tens of thousands of ordinary motorists were treated fairly.” He added what has happened is “far too serious to be brushed aside”.

“Sadiq Khan should come clean and support a genuinely independent investigation into exactly what happened, who authorised the restriction and whether every penalty was properly and lawfully imposed,” Mr Cox said. “And if that investigation establishes that motorists were wrongly fined, there should be no excuses and no bureaucratic obstacle course. Refund their money.”

“For far too long, drivers have felt they are treated as an easy source of revenue. Authorities rightly demand that motorists comply with every rule imposed upon them. Those same authorities must therefore be absolutely accountable for the legality and fairness of the penalties they impose.”

A spokesperson for Lord Khan said: “It is incorrect to suggest that the Mayor or TfL misled anybody in relation to these fines, and TfL remain confident that enforcement of the speed limit here was necessary given the safety risks. No wrongdoing was alleged by the court, traffic regulation orders were made lawfully, and all TfL staff acted in accordance with authorisation.”