UK PM Rishi Sunak fined by police for not wearing seatbelt in car

The United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been fined for not wearing a seatbelt in a moving car.The Lancashire Police, without specifying thename, said that it had issued a fixed penalty with a conditional offer to a 42-year-old man from London, BBC reported.

Avideo that was posted on Thursday, went viral when netizens spotted the prime minister without a seatbelt. He was in Lancashire.

The British Prime Minister had filmed a social media video in a moving car without a seatbelt on and was fined for the legal breach.

“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 apologised 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 judgement. The PM removed his seatbelt to film a small clip. He fully accepts this was a mistake and apologises about it,” Sunak's spokesperson said.
“The Prime Minister believes everyone should wear a seatbelt,” he added.

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After Sunak's video went viral, a spokesperson said, "He fully accepts this was a mistakeand has apologised." The representative also said that he would pay the fine.

In the UK, passengers caught without wearing a seat belt can be fined £100 ($124), which can increase to £500 ($620)if the case goes to court.

Reacting to his video, Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner in a tweet said that Sunak was a "total liability".

The Liberal Democrats said that being the second prime minister of the country to be fined by the police, he has shown the same disregard for the rules, as Boris Johnson.

This is the second time the prime minister has received a fixed penalty notice.

He received one in April 2022, when he was fined along with then-prime minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carie for breaking Covid lockdown rulesand attending a birthday party.

However, defending Sunak, Conservative MP for Blackpool South Benton said that "everybody makes mistakes." He added that police should focus on tackling serious crimes in the community.

In the UK, a fixed penalty notice is a sanction for breaking the law, a fine that needs to be paid within 28 days or contested. If someone chooses to contest the penalty, then the police will review the case and decide whether to withdraw the fine.

The UK’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said, “Everyone should take seatbelt laws seriously, whoever and wherever they are.”

(With inputs fromagencies)

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