A West London café that was named after Princess Diana has lost its licence after repeatedly hiring illegal workers.
Café Diana in Notting Hill Gate had its licence revoked on July 3 by Kensington and Chelsea Council, official documents released this week show. Since then, the operators have also surrendered their licence, according to the council.
During a bizarre licensing meeting in early July - the result of which has now been made public - council officials accused the Manager and his representative of sounding like the Shaggy song - It Wasn't Me.
Councillors heard how the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) and long-term Manager Mr Abdul Basit Daoud had no idea there were illegal workers at the café and offered to step down. The Home Office said he was warned twice.
Noel Samaroo, representing Mr Daoud and the premises licence holder SSW6 Holdings, also appeared to backtrack on licensing conditions his client had proposed around security guards and the closure of windows.
Frustration boiled over when councillors questioned Mr Daoud and Mr Samaroo on how the premises was being run. When both men appeared not to answer how records were being kept or how no-one noticed illegal workers, committee Chair Janet Evans said: "This is beginning to sound like the song, It Wasn't Me.
"There's a little bit of evidence, we ask a question then [you say] it wasn't you. You've been in the business for 36 years and it wasn't you."
She added: "Mr Daoud, how much time did you spend at the premises because how could you not notice the same illegal chaps who were there for two to four years - you wouldn't notice they were asylum seekers? I'm a little cautious about that."
Mr Daoud responded: "In my opinion they had a right to work but again, I didn't find out until this right to work lapsed."
Mr Samaroo followed up by saying his clients should have known better.
The café was hauled before the council's Licensing Committee on July 3 following a request for a premises licence review by the Home Office. Council records show the licence was terminated on July 4.
Home Office officials said the café also had no functioning CCTV and sold illegal tobacco. One officer told the committee that despite multiple enforcement visits, arrests and penalties, "there is no evidence of improved practices, staff training or compliance system".
He said there was an ongoing pattern of neglect and failure to uphold the licensing objectives and called for the café's licence to be revoked.
Immigration Enforcement Officers raided Café Diana on four separate occasions between September 2019 and May 2025. They found seven illegal workers from Egypt, Iran and Albania, and heard how one employee was paid £40 for an eight-hour shift, which equates to £5 an hour.
They encountered one illegal worker on two separate raids and found another who had worked for Café Diana for two-and-a-half years.
According to the Home Office, the West London café was fined £10,500 in February 2020 for hiring illegal workers. In December 2024, it was fined another £135,000 for the same offence. The committee was told the company which was fined has since gone into liquidation.
Immigration agents visited the café in September 2019 and found an illegal worker who had overstayed a visa which expired in May 2015. Officers visited again in February 2020 and found another three illegal workers.
One tried to evade officers by heading to the toilets but later admitted to working five eight-hour shifts a week and was paid £50 in cash. Another, who was in the kitchen area when officers entered, tried to evade officers by sitting down at a table and disguising himself as a customer.
Immigration officers visited the premises for a third time in December 2024 and found three illegal workers on site, one whom they had encountered for a second time.
One worker tried to dupe officers with a fake French ID she admitted paying €5,000 (£4,262) for. The waitress, who had her EU Settlement Scheme application rejected in December 2022, claimed the café never carried out pre-employment checks and said she was being paid between £9 and £10 an hour.
Another, who had overstayed a business visit visa from July 2015, said he was being paid in food.
Named Café Diana after the late Princess, this small eatery has attracted thousands of visitors - including royals.
Until her passing, Lady Di was reportedly a frequent guest and supporter. She is said to have often come with her two sons for coffee and breakfast, and reportedly thought highly of the establishment.
Got a story? Email adrian.zorzut@reachplc.com
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