British PM fined for not wearing seatbelt in car video

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.

This article has been posted by a News Hour Correspondent. For queries, please contact through [email protected]
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