Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was fined by British police on Friday for not using a seatbelt while driving while recording a social media video.
In a post on Twitter, Lancashire Police said without mentioning Sunak specifically: “We have today issued a 42-year-old male from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty.”
Sunak can avoid a court appearance by paying a fine under a fixed penalty.
Downing Street said in a statement that Sunak “fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised”.
“He will, of course, comply with the fixed penalty,” it said.
The BBC stated that a passenger will be fined $100 ($124) for failing to use a seatbelt. Sunak may pay $500 in court if the matter went to trial.
In a video released on Thursday for Sunak’s social media accounts, the Conservative leader without a seatbelt discusses his plans to spur economic growth while traveling to Lancashire in northern England.
According to Downing Street, Sunak quickly apologized for a “mistake of judgment” when the video was released on Thursday. The video has already been taken down from Instagram.
Sunak’s transportation habits were already a talking point in the United Kingdom.
His use of a private plane to make numerous brief excursions in recent days has drawn criticism from his political adversaries.
Sunak has received a police fine in the past as well.
While serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer, he was fined for breaking the government’s social distance restrictions for attending a Downing Street party in June 2020.
