PM Sunak fined by British police for failing to wear seat belt
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Mr Rishi Sunak’s transportation habits are already a talking point, with rivals taking aim his recent multiple short flights.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – British police issued Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a fine on Friday for travelling in the back seat of a car without wearing his seat belt while filming a social media clip, a potentially embarrassing blow as he tries to revive his party’s fortunes.
Mr Sunak, who apologised on Thursday for what he called a “brief error of judgment”, had uploaded the video to Instagram during a trip to north-west England. It was widely shared by other users who noticed he had not buckled up.
This is the second penalty Mr Sunak has received from the police. In 2022, they found him to have broken Covid-19 lockdown rules,
The fine represents a new challenge for Mr Sunak, whose Conservative Party trails far behind the opposition Labour Party in the opinion polls, ahead of an election due by January 2025 at the latest.
“The Prime Minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised. He will of course comply with the fixed penalty,” a spokesman for Downing Street said in a statement.
Police in the northern English county of Lancashire confirmed they had issued a penalty notice to a 42-year-old man from London.
The Prime Minister’s video comprised an update on the government’s “levelling up” plans to reduce regional disparities.
In Britain, a person can be fined up to £500 (S$820) if he fails to wear a seat belt, unless there is an exemption, such as for emergency services, in a taxi or when a driver is reversing.
“Thank you Lancashire Police for all you do in road safety campaigning all year round. Also, reminding us no one is above the law,” Labour lawmaker Cat Smith said on Twitter. REUTERS
