Hillary Pays up! Clinton Puts £40 Parking Fine on Credit Card after London Traffic Warden Defied Five Secret Service Agents to Give her a Ticket
- Westminster City Council warden put penalty notice on her Mercedes
- Clinton was attending an event at Chatham House to pick up an award
- £80 fine for failing to buy £3.30/hour ticket, halved as she paid in 14 days
- Photographer claims he saw one agent flashing his badge to warden
- Councillor: 'We have to be fair to everyone, regardless of their status'
- US diplomats in London get £7.5m congestion charge fines in ten years
EXCLUSIVE
PUBLISHED: Daily Mail, 17 October 2013
Hillary Clinton last night paid a £40 fine on a credit card after she was given a parking ticket by a fearless traffic warden in London, MailOnline can reveal today.
It comes after extraordinary photographs showed the former US secretary of state’s security staff getting into an argument with the warden after he issued her silver Mercedes with a ticket.
The Westminster City Council warden put an £80 penalty notice on her car last Friday while she was attending an event at Chatham House - but the fine was halved because she paid within 14 days.
However, Mrs Clinton's payment will do little to ease the £7.5million owed by US diplomats in London, who have picked up 66,372 penalty notices for failing to pay the congestion charge over ten years.
Argument: Hillary Clinton's security staff get into a row with a traffic warden whilst waiting for her in London
In discussion: The Westminster City Council warden put a penalty notice on the silver Mercedes car (centre)
The row was caught on camera in Central London by photographer Greg Brennan, who said five of her guards were waiting inside a Mercedes van next to her car at the time because it was raining.
She had earlier arrived in a motorcade of five cars with around 10 security agents, Mr Brennan told MailOnline. Her car was parked in a bay on St James's Square in Mayfair, which costs £3.30 per hour.
The warden then arrived and put a ticket on the car which had transported 65-year-old Mrs Clinton to the event, prompting her security detail to jump out of the van in protest, Mr Brennan said.
The photographer claimed he saw one of the agents angrily waving his arms and flashing his badge to the warden, who remained unflustered and continued to issue the ticket to Mrs Clinton’s vehicle.
Politician: Mrs Clinton speaks at Chatham House on Friday and gets out of her car before the event
Fans crowd Hillary Clinton at Chatham House, London
Cllr Daniel Astaire, Westminster City Council cabinet member for business, told MailOnline: 'Despite our traffic marshal being questioned by the secret service for just doing his job, he was in the right.
'The former US Secretary of State was parked for nearly 45 minutes without paying. I’m sure she will understand that we have to be fair to everyone, regardless of their status on the world stage.
'For future reference, Mrs Clinton can now also download a parking app for her iPhone which will tell her in real time where a parking space is in the City of Westminster.'
The ticket came with an £80 fine - but was only £40 because it was paid within 14 days. Westminster City Council parking fines incurred by US diplomats currently stand at a total of less than £1,000.
Pointing and waving: A warden arrived and put a ticket on the car which had transported her to Chatham House
Upset: The photographer said he saw one of the agents angrily waving his arms and flashing his badge
Event: Mrs Clinton was at Chatham House to collect a prize for her contribution to international diplomacy
A spokesman for Mrs Clinton - who does not enjoy diplomatic status or numberplates - has not yet responded to a comment request, and nobody at the US Embassy press office could be reached.
FOREIGN DIPLOMATS RACK UP £70M IN CONGESTION CHARGE FINES
Diplomats in London have racked up £70million in unpaid congestion charge fines.
Over the past ten years foreign embassies have accumulated more than 600,000 penalty charge notices after refusing to pay the charge, Transport for London said in May.
Embassies now owe £70,068,175 - with the US topping the list. Over the past ten years, America has picked up 66,372 penalty charge notices totalling £7.5million.
The charge, which brings in around £110million a year, costs £10 and is active in certain areas of London from 7am to 6pm on weekdays.
It was claimed in 2011 that London Mayor Boris Johnson asked US President Barack Obama for a £5million cheque for unpaid congestion charge fines, but the US ambassador intervened before Mr Obama could answer.
The car's numberplate reveals it was registered earlier this year in Stanmore, north-west London.
Federal law requires the Secret Service to watch over former presidents and their spouses - and Mrs Clinton's senior staff included up to eight senior state department or National Security Council officials while she was secretary of state.
London Evening Standard editor Sarah Sands said on Twitter: 'The role of London traffic wardens in the Special Relationship. We honour Hillary Clinton - then give her a parking ticket.'
The politician - the wife of ex-president Bill, 67, and mother of Chelsea, 33 - was at Chatham House to collect a prize for her contribution to international diplomacy. She and her husband have an estimated net worth of £35million.
She spoke at the event to a newspaper, calling for a ‘sensible adult conversation’ about the boundaries of state surveillance after the leaking of files by whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Mrs Clinton said it would be ‘going down a wrong path’ to reject a debate following disclosures about the collection of communications data by GCHQ and America's National Security Agency.
Later that evening, she posted a tweet to British foreign secretary William Hague, saying: 'Great seeing you today. I'm so pleased that our special relationship continues even after leaving office.'
Feud: The extraordinary row kicked off as a warden tried to put a ticket on Hillary Clinton's car in London
I'm still smiling: Musician Sir Elton John (right) honoured Hillary Clinton (left) last night for her work to
help those affected by HIV/AIDS, at an annual event for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in New York City
Mrs Clinton, who was born in 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, is currently considering whether to make her second challenge for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016.
Quote:
'We have to be fair to everyone, regardless of their status on the world stage'
Cllr Daniel Astaire, Westminster City Council cabinet member for business
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She received the prize for her ‘significant and impressive contribution to international diplomacy’ and ‘her work on behalf of gender equality and opportunities for women and girls’.
On Tuesday night, Sir Elton John honoured Mrs Clinton for her work to help those affected by HIV/AIDS, at an annual event for his Elton John AIDS Foundation in New York City.
She was excited as she accepted the first founders award from him, but told the crowd at Cipriani's restaurant that 'we still have so far to go' when it comes to helping those affected by HIV/AIDS.
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