Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, was fined for failing to buckle up in a moving vehicle. According to the BBC, the Lancashire Police issued a fixed penalty with a conditional offer to a 42-year-old London male but did not give his identity.
When internet users noticed the prime minister driving without a seatbelt, a video that was shared on Thursday quickly became popular. The British Prime Minister was fined for breaking the law when he recorded a social media video while not wearing a seatbelt in a moving car.
“PM Rishi Sunak completely accepts this was a mistake and has apologized”
“Following the circulation of a video on social media showing an individual failing to wear a seat belt while a passenger in a moving car in Lancashire we have today (Friday, January 20) issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty,” Lancashire Police said in a statement. On Thursday, Sunak apologized for a “brief error of judgment” in removing his seatbelt to film a video while driving in north-west England.
“That was a brief error of judgment. The PM removed his seatbelt to film a small clip. He fully accepts this was a mistake and apologizes about it,” Sunak’s spokesperson said. “The Prime Minister believes everyone should wear a seatbelt,” he added.
A spokeswoman added, “He completely accepts this was a mistake and has apologized,” after Sunak’s video went viral. Additionally, the representative pledged to cover the fine. In the UK, non-belt-wearing passengers face a £100 ($124) fine, which can rise to £500 ($620) if the matter ends up in court. In response to his video, Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of Labour, tweeted that Sunak was a “complete liability.” The Liberal Democrats claimed that as the country’s second prime minister to receive a police fine, he had displayed the same disdain for the law as Boris Johnson. The prime minister has now been issued a fixed penalty notice twice.
A fixed penalty notice is a fine that must be paid or contested within 28 days in the UK as punishment for breaking the law
One came in April 2022 when he was punished alongside the prime leader at the time, Boris Johnson, and his wife, Carie, for disobeying Covid lockdown regulations and attending a birthday celebration. Benton, a Conservative representative for Blackpool South, defended Sunak by asserting that “everyone makes errors.” He further stated that police should concentrate on combating significant crimes in the neighborhood.
A fixed penalty notice is a fine that must be paid or contested within 28 days in the UK as punishment for breaking the law. The police will analyze the case and make a determination regarding the fine’s withdrawal if someone chooses to appeal the punishment. According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents in the UK, “Seatbelt legislation should be taken seriously by everyone, wherever they are.”