Prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has been fined by Lancashire Police for not wearing a seat belt. The fine follows a social media video in which Mr Sunak was talking to the camera in the back of a moving car without wearing the protection.
The social media video, in which the prime minister was promoting his levelling up agenda, was posted on Mr Sunak’s Instagram feed.
The fine for passengers failing to wear a seatbelt in a moving car is £100, rising to £500 should the case reach court.
Downing Street have confirmed that the prime minister fully acccepts “that this was a mistake”, and that Mr Sunak would now pay the fine.
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This is the second time in a year that Mr Sunak has been fined by the police. In April 2022, he was fined alongside Boris Johnson, for breaking lock down rules and attending a birthday gathering for Mr Johnson in Downing Street back in June 2020.
Alongside Mr Johnson, Mr Sunak now becomes the second sitting prime minister to be fined by the police when in office.
The news has already seen a host of hostile reaction from opposition politicians.
Writing on Twitter, the Labour MP, Bill Esterston wrote, “Two fixed penalties for Rishi Sunak. One during Covid, now this one. Yet another example of one rule for them, another rule for everyone else”. He later joked that Mr Sunak had given more to the Police in fixed penalty notices than he’s given to Crosby in levelling up money. Crosby is a coastal town in Mr Esterston’s constituency.
Meanwhile the SNP Peter Grant, wrote, “It was a mistake to be filmed doing what he probably does all the time”.
Mr Sunak did though appear to receive support from the Conservative MP, Mark Jenkinson who tweeted to say, “Nearly 20% of adults don’t wear a seatbelt in the back of car”. In the same tweet he went on to say, “Sir @Kier Starmer has been known to be among that number, while filming”.
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