UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been charged a fine for not wearing a seat belt after he posted his video on social media. Sunak was sitting at the back of the car and was not wearing a seat belt in the video he recorded.
Sunak had uploaded the video from his tour of northern England. The police fine is deemed a crushing blow at a time when is trying to revive his party’s fortune. The UK prime minister has received a conditional offer of a fixed penalty from Lancashire Constabulary. His spokesperson from No 10 said that he fully accepts responsibility, adding that he would pay the fine. The spokesperson added that Sunak has also apologized for his mistake.
Passengers failing to wear a seat belt when it is available can be fined up to £100. The fine can increase up to £500 if the case goes to court.
This is the second time Rishi Sunak has been fined with a fixed penalty while being in the government. Last year, he was fined along with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carie for flouting COVID-19 rules by attending a birthday party for the then-prime minister in Downing Street in June 2020.
British police issued Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with a fine for riding in a car without wearing his seat belt in order to film a clip for social media https://t.co/DX5JPxaNd1 pic.twitter.com/kHbA72i7Y8
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 20, 2023
Fixed penalties are fines for breaking laws and have to be paid within 28 days, or contested. If someone chooses to contest the fine, the police will review the case to either withdraw the fine or take the matter to court.
Sunak is now receiving mockery and denunciation from his opponents. Labour Party leader Angela Rayner said that Rishi Sunak was a “total liability”. The spokesperson of the Labour Party added that “Hapless Rishi Sunak’s leveling-up photo op has blown up in his face and turned him into a laughing stock.”
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Deputy Lib Dem leader Daisy Cooper said: “From party gate to seatbelt gate, these Conservative politicians are just taking the British people for fools.
“Whilst they continue to behave as though it’s one rule for them and another for everyone else, this fine is a reminder that the Conservatives eventually get their comeuppance.”