UK PM Sunak Fined For Not Wearing a Seatbelt After Outing Himself on Social Media

New Conservative Party leader and incoming prime minister Rishi Sunak enters a car as he l
DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images
Kurt Zindulka

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been for not wearing a seatbelt after he posted a video on social media from the back of his car while not wearing the mandatory protection.

Lancashire Police announced on Friday that a “42-year-old man in London” had been issued with a fixed penalty notice for failing to wear a seatbelt. The prime minister had been called out for not wearing a seatbelt after he posted a video of himself on his Instagram account earlier this week.

“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, Jan 20) issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty,” the force said in a statement.

Mr Sunak previously issued an apology for not wearing a seatbelt while he was on a trip across the north of England to promote his government’s “levelling up” strategy for the region. The prime minister called the decision an “error of judgement”, according to the BBC.

The prime minister will face a fine of £100, which can rise up to £500 if the matter is taken to court.

Responding to the fine, Brexit leader Nigel Farage said: “I have been filming videos in the car for years, but never without a seatbelt. Prime Minister, stop trying to look normal — you are not!”

It is not the first time that Sunak has been fined by the police since entering into politics. Last April, then-Chancellor of the Exchequer Sunak was fined alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson in relation to the “Partygate” scandal, in which government officials, including Sunak, attended parties at Downing Street in 2020 that were found to be in violation of the very same lockdown rules imposed on the public by the government during the Chinese coronavirus crisis.

Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.