The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, has been fined by the British police for not wearing a seatbelt in the back of a moving car while on a trip to northern England.
According to local reports, Sunak, who recorded an Instagram video, was seen turning in his seat to talk to the camera without a seatbelt on, a video that has now been deleted from the social media site.
In a statement, the PM’s office at Downing Street said the incident was a “brief error of judgment”, but Lancashire constabulary announced they were fining Sunak for the infraction.
The police said: “You will be aware that a video has been circulating on social media showing an individual failing to wear a seatbelt while a passenger in a moving car in Lancashire.
“After looking into this matter, we have today issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty.”
A spokesperson for Sunak who reacted to the force’s statement said: “The prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised. He will of course comply with the fixed penalty.”
A fixed penalty means Sunak can pay a fine to avoid a court hearing. Meanwhile, the police did not disclose how much they had fined the PM, but according to the government’s safety campaign, any driver or passenger not wearing a seatbelt is breaking the law and is liable to be fined up to £500 if the case goes to court.
Remarkably, this is not the first time Sunak has been slapped with a police fine. It could be recalled that he was fined while serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer for attending a Downing Street party in June 2020 that violated the government’s rules on social distancing.
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