London, Europe Brief News – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been fined for not wearing a seatbelt in a moving car while filming a social media video.
Sunak was visiting three towns in the north of England when he posted the video promoting his ‘leveling up’ program on Instagram.
The video has since been taken down but can be seen in a YouTube video posted by The Guardian.
British Police said it had issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of a fixed penalty.
No 10 said Mr Sunak “fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised”, adding that he would pay the fine.
The fine for not wearing a seatbelt in the UK is £100, or $123, when pulled over, but can increase to a maximum of £500, or $620 if the case proceeds to court.
Sunak was in Lancashire when he was pulled over, and local police are currently “looking into” the violation, but have not made any moves to bring Sunak to court.
It is the second time Mr Sunak has received a fixed penalty notice while in government.
Last April, he was fined along with Boris Johnson and wife Carrie for breaking Covid lockdown rules – by attending a birthday gathering for the then-prime minister in Downing Street in June 2020.
Fixed penalty notices are a sanction for breaking the law, and mean a fine, which needs to be paid within 28 days, or contested.
If someone chooses to contest the fine, the police will then review the case and decide whether to withdraw the fine or take the matter to court.
