Sadiq Khan accused of ‘cover-up’ as 66,000 drivers WRONGLY slapped with £6.6m in fines from ‘illegal’ speed trap

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 26: London Mayor Sadiq Khan on a carpet in the middle of Oxford Street during a photocall on October 26, 2026 in London, England. The London Mayor’s office is today marking the first phase of permanently pedestrianising Oxford Street, London’s busy shopping thoroughfare. The initial rollout between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street diverts buses, taxis, bikes and other vehicles away from the high street, creating space for a pedestrian plaza ahead of the Christmas period. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Comment now Next SADIQ Khan has been accused of a “cover-up” after 66,000 drivers were wrongly slapped with fines from an allegedly illegal speed trap.

Transport for London (TfL) is thought to have raked in around £6.6million after a temporary speed limit change was introduced. 4 Mayor of London, Lord Sadiq Khan, has been accused of a cover-up after 66,000 motorists were wrongly slapped with fines Credit: Youtube/London Assembly 4 The drivers are said to have been caught out by an allegedly unlawful speed limit change on the A20 in London Credit: Alamy Advertisement In October 2023, an average speed camera was installed on the A20 between Sidcup and Swanley.

The speed limit was reduced from 70mph to 40mph while safety work was carried out on the road following several crashes. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. But campaigners have argued that motorists were not sufficiently made aware of the changes with 62,000 drivers reportedly penalised in the first six weeks alone.

It has now been revealed the Mayor of London vetoed an independent investigation into the controversial speed measures, reports The Telegraph Read more News PUB ATTACK Thug who inherited £50m manor from estranged dad GUILTY of punching man in brawl CRUNCH TIME Walkers urgently pulls crisps from UK supermarket shelves over health hazard 4 In February last year, Lord Khan vetoed a motion for an independent investigation into the A20 Credit: Youtube/London Assembly 4 Khan also resisted calls to take action by three Conservative MPs According to the outlet, documents also reveal the change was unlawful while campaigners claim TfL officials and the Mayor of London were aware of the problem for years.

Thomas Turrell, the London Assembly Conservatives’ transport spokesman blasted the situation as “an almighty motoring miscarriage of justice”. Advertisement He said: “Thousands of motorists have been sacrificed on the altar of the mayor’s inability to admit that a mistake has been made.” “I and others have called on the Mayor, TfL, the Department of Transport and other authorities to investigate this scandal, and they have repeatedly resisted.

Now we find out that they likely knew, and conspired to cover up the fault in the hope that it would go away,” he added. Most read in The Sun PAW LAW Full list of dog breeds hit by new law in UK - ignoring can land you with JAIL time GOING WILD Popular UK zoo warns of imminent closure after 40 years in 'devastating' blow BUS HORROR Baby injured after brick thrown at bus near children's hospital as boy arrested CAR HORROR Shocking moment car ‘repeatedly drives into group after fight’ on Halloween “The calls for an independent investigation into this fiasco are now irresistible: the truth must out, and heads must roll if they are found to have knowingly tried to pervert the course of justice in this case.”

When affected motorists appealed their speeding fine at court, TfL and Met Police officials said the speed change had been implemented lawfully. But campaigners argued the wrong official signed off on the speed limit change after a court acquitted one of the drivers last month. Advertisement It could open the door to thousands more attempting to overturn their convictions but TfL say they will resist their appeals. As thousands were facing £100 fines and three points on their licence, Lord Khan resisted calls for an investigation as well as requests to take action by three Conservative MPs.

Laura Trott , Louie French and Gareth Bacon all wrote to Lord Khan in January 2025 urging him to address the problem after hundreds flocked to their MPs claiming the speed signs were wrong. Lord Khan is said to have not responded to their pleas while he also veoted a motion at the London Assembly the following month. The Assembly had passed a motion to “launch an indepdendent investigation” into the temporary speed limit measure on the A20″.

Advertisement It passed by 16 votes to three and flagged “concerns at the possibility that the wrong officer signed off on the order altogether” but Lord Khan blocked the motion. A spokesperson for the Mayor of London 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.”

A TfL spokesperson said: “It is incorrect to suggest that TfL or its staff misled the courts or anybody else in this case and any suggestion of wrongdoing, or that evidence or information was improperly withheld, is false. “We remain confident that enforcement of the speed limit here was necessary, given the safety risks. Advertisement RECOMMENDED STORIES “While we are aware of this Crown Court ruling, we understand that it does not set a binding precedent on any other cases and we will be supporting the Metropolitan Police in resisting the upcoming appeals.

“Safety is our number one priority and we temporarily introduced a 40mph speed limit on the A20 Sidcup Road in response to a number of serious incidents caused by ongoing flooding issues, which posed a risk to life. After we repaired and resurfaced the road, the temporary speed restriction was removed.” Comment now