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Prime Minister fined for failing to wear seatbelt in the back of a moving car

20 Jan 2023 2 minute read
The Prime Minister’s Instagram post

The Prime Minister has been issued with a fixed penalty notice by police for failing to wear a seatbelt while filming a social media clip in the back of a moving car.

Rishi Sunak previously apologised for the “brief error of judgment” as he carried out a series of visits in the North of England on Thursday.

Mr Sunak was spotted not wearing his seatbelt in an Instagram video he filmed to promote levelling-up funding during a visit to Lancashire.

Lancashire Police said: “You will be aware that a video has been circulating on social media showing an individual failing to wear a seat belt while a passenger in a moving car in Lancashire.

“After looking into this matter, we have today (Friday, January 20th) issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty.”

It is Mr Sunak’s second fine, having paid a fixed penalty notice during the “partygate” scandal while chancellor.

Downing Street has so far declined to comment on the latest development.

Mistake

Earlier, No 10 said Mr Sunak “fully accepts this was a mistake and apologises”.

A No 10 spokesman said “of course” the Prime Minister does not believe anyone is above the law, adding that he “believes it is important for people to wear their seatbelt”.

“It was an error of judgment, he removed it for a short period of time to film a clip, which you’ve seen, but he accepts that was a mistake,” the spokesman added.

There are a few exemptions for failing to wear a belt, including when a car is being used for police, fire and rescue services and for certified medical issues.

Downing Street said it did not believe there is an exception for travelling in a ministerial car.


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Steve A Duggan
Steve A Duggan
1 year ago

Breaking the law is common practice now for Prime Minsters. They are becoming a fine example of leadership.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

Did his protection officer set him up…?

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

Rishi’s second conviction while a Downing St resident, do the terms and conditions say three strikes and you are out. Most social housing comes with rules and regulations…

Last edited 1 year ago by Mab Meirion
Cathy Jones
Cathy Jones
1 year ago
Reply to  Mab Meirion

Why should we wait for three? He is the Prime Minister, he shouldn’t be breaking any laws at all.

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago
Reply to  Cathy Jones

Ease up on him Cath. He’s just an envious public school brat out to prove that Winchester lads are just as capable of bending and evading rules as their toffee nosed rivals from Eton and other havens for kiddie molesters.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

Looks as if Rishi’s Air Force will have to take the strain from now on, he rather likes being saluted does this little emperor…

David Charles pearn
David Charles pearn
1 year ago
Reply to  Mab Meirion

😂😂😂

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

Why do they refer to the RAF aircraft that taxi Sunak on very short haul flights around the country as private…always half a lie as standard with this guy…

Cathy Jones
Cathy Jones
1 year ago

…yeah, nice..a whole fifty quid hey? Wow, that’s him told. He must be really fretting over how he is going to pay that. Poor man.

Fixed Penalty notices are meaningless to rich people.

Last edited 1 year ago by Cathy Jones
Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

Plutocrat Rishy Sunak is entitled career politician. It’s, do as I say not as I do, his mantra, After all, I’m a law maker, not a law taker.’ he says. Look, the man can’t even use a debit card properly to pay for petrol using a car he borrowed from a Sainsbury worker for a contrived Tory photo op charm offensive. Out of touch, lol, is an understatement. No doubt he’ll plead ignorance as his defence using his most sincere doe-eyed Tony Blair impression, and the right-wing gammon Murdoch media types will play down this like they did Boris Johnson’s… Read more »

Frank
Frank
1 year ago

Pass the cost of the fine on to the taxpayer in expenses. He should be seen doing community work. A fine means absolutely nothing to him.

Frank
Frank
1 year ago

Modern cars have a warning device in the form of a loud “pinger alarm” which makes it obvious to the driver and passengers that someone has not engaged their seat belt. Had this device been switched off in the PMs car which prompts the question whether it was common practice not to wear a belt?

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

Rishi struggles with the concept of seat belts and the law, so massive fraud on his watch at the Treasury and the cynical idiocy of ‘eat out to peg out’ should not surprise us…

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

As for Sajid Javid, the yearling health minister who wants us to bring our debit card to A&E, here’s what the BMJ says… Javid has overall been curiously unengaged with this job. The Health and Care Act 2022 increased his potential to intervene in NHS operational matters, but despite huge scandals in maternity, A&E and ambulance performance exposed during his tenure, he has not done so. Likewise, the apparent collapse in primary care has continued unchecked… Perhaps Javid’s only memorable legacy will be the phrase that he parroted, but could not explain: that the NHS is “a Blockbuster service in… Read more »

ChronosCymru
ChronosCymru
1 year ago
Reply to  Mab Meirion

Yes, on that note I’m left wondering just what we’re paying for if “free at point of use” is going away. If aunty Mabel gets mugged and ends up in A&E, are they going to stop her from spending 16 hours in a corridor just because her pension was stolen?
Javid needs a word with himself…

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

Raab sticks up for his boss, saying it is not a resigning offence…

Raab is very familiar with all the reasons for not doing the decent thing…

It does show just how dim the PM must be…

Last edited 1 year ago by Mab Meirion
Mawkernewek
Mawkernewek
1 year ago

Exam question for the new A level Remedial Maths:

If Rishi has £750 million and he is fined £500 how much monetary amount is this equivalent to a pleb paying? You may assume the pleb has net assets of £7500.

How much would the government have to fine Rishi to be proportional to fining the pleb £500?

ChronosCymru
ChronosCymru
1 year ago

Dominc Raab says the PM is, quote “A human being.” While I agree with that, doesn’t that say that the seatbelt law is just another stealth tax?

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