Hillary Clinton may be tipped as a future US president, but that did not impress a London traffic warden who slapped her vehicle with an £80 parking fine.
An unfazed London traffic warden has slapped a £80 fine on a limousine used by former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton for parking for 45 minutes without paying.
The fine was put on the silver Mercedes as the 65-year- old former US first lady attended an event at a leading think -tank on Friday as her security staff failed to buy the £3.30 ticket required to park the vehicle for an hour on the exclusive St James’ Square in central London.
Her security staff were seen discussing the penalty notice with a Westminster Council traffic warden, but he refused to remove the ticket, the BBC reported on Wednesday.
Clinton currently does not enjoy diplomatic status or number plates.
According to a photographer, her bodyguards got of out of their vehicle into the drizzle after the unidentified warden issued the ticket. Voices were raised, a badge was flashed and fingers pointed, but nothing fazed the attendant, something Londoners have long grown used to.
Westminster City Council cabinet member for business Daniel Astaire said: “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 download a new parking app for her iPhone which will tell her in real time where a parking space is available in Westminster, the only place in London where this is possible,” Astaire said.
Clinton was awarded this year’s Chatham House Prize in recognition of her contribution to international diplomacy and work on behalf of gender equality and opportunities for women and girls. She has not commented on the ticket, the report said.
The fine would be reduced to £40 if the possible future leader of the free world pays up within 14 days, The Telegraph reported.
It is not known if Clinton intends to pay the fine. The US embassy In London referred enquiries to Bill Clinton’s charitable foundation in New York. The foundation in turn did not respond, the paper said.
