Uproar as Rishi Sunak fined for failing to wear seatbelt
Labour says the incident made the UK PM a ‘laughing stock’
The British police fined Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday for failing to wear a seat belt while he filmed a social media clip in the backseat of a moving car, a potentially embarrassing blow as he tries to revive his party's fortunes.
This is the second time Sunak received a police fine while in government. The first one was for attending a lockdown-busting birthday gathering for then-prime minister Boris Johnson.
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Failing to wear a seatbelt is illegal, but filming it and publishing the evidence on social media suggests a lack of checks within the PM's team, according to an analysis of Sky News.
Such slip-ups may be exploited by the PM's enemies to claim he is out of touch, as Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said in a tweet that PM Sunak was a "total liability".
According to BBC, a Labour Party spokesperson said, "Hapless Rishi Sunak's levelling-up photo op has blown up in his face and turned him into a laughing stock."
The Liberal Democrats said, in becoming the second ever serving prime minister to be fined by police, he had "shown the same disregard for the rules as Boris Johnson".
According to BBC, deputy Lib Dem leader Daisy Cooper said, "From partygate 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."
Sunak, who apologised on Thursday for a "brief error of judgement", had uploaded the video to Instagram during a trip to north west England. It was widely shared by other users who noticed that he had not buckled up.
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told Sky News on Saturday morning that the issue was not a resigning matter. He said the prime minister should not have to resign after receiving a fine for not wearing a seatbelt in a moving car.
"Of course, it shouldn't have happened," he said. "I think, look, given the circumstances, I don't think it's something which would result in his resignation."
According to Reuters, the fine represents an additional distraction for Sunak, whose Conservative Party trails far behind the opposition Labour Party in the opinion polls, ahead of an election due by January 2025 at the latest.
"The prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised. He will of course comply with the fixed penalty," a spokesman from Sunak's Downing Street office said in a statement.
Sunak's video comprised an update on the government's "levelling up" plans to reduce regional disparities.
In Britain a person can be fined up to 500 pounds ($620) if they fail to wear a seatbelt, unless there is an exemption, such as for emergency services, in a taxi or when a driver is reversing.
