A group of minicab drivers have hit out at the Mayor of London as they face proposals which could see them having to pay the congestion charge.

The congestion charge was introduced in 2003 by the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone and is a daily levy imposed on drivers in central London.

Minicab drivers were previously exempt from paying this charge but Transport for London (TfL) is now proposing to remove this – with cabbies facing a charge of £10.50 every day.

At Mayor’s Question Time earlier today a number of London minicab drivers took a stand against these proposals along with a number of other issues concerning workers rights.

Conservative assembly member Gareth Bacon questioned the mayor on whether charging minicab drivers for driving in central London was fair.

The drivers, who were silenced, held banners urging the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to make minicab bosses rather than drivers pay the charge for driving in the congestion zone.

Protesters were also opposing increased operator licence fees- the costs of which will be passed down to minicaba drivers and fighting for trade union recognition as well as attacks against on drivers.

One banner read: “Sadiq: make bosses pay not workers,” while another said: “stop congestion, stop licensing.”

Iraerson Aguiar Pinto from Brazil has been in the UK for 16 years and works as an UBER driver.

He said: “The mayor must take responsibility for these extra charges which  minicab drivers will be left to pick up.

“Introducing the congestion charge for minicab drivers will have a massive effect on people’s income and ability to feed their families, it’s monstrous.”

Mr Pinto became an Uber driver around 18 months ago after his job as a flight attendant became unstable.

He said: “In order to keep my job and survive in the UK I had to find something I could fill my employment gap with.”

Mr Pinto also said 95 per cent of minicab drivers in London are migrants and feels like additional charges that minicab drivers will face has an unfair impact people who have come to the UK to work.

He feels strongly that these particular charges are “discrimination” against minicab drivers.

Whilst Uber and other minicab drivers will face the congestion charge and increased operator licencing fees black cab drivers won’t.

Black cabs or Hackney Carriages managed by TfL and drivers of those vehicles will not face increased operator licencing fees or the congestion charge.

He added: “I feel like we are not being heard by politicians and are being discriminated against.”

Mr Pinto also said he disagreed with English tests which have recently been made compulsory for taxi drivers to acquire a licence.