May 25, 2023
2 mins read

Sunak gives Braverman clean chit on driving fine row

She eventually decided to take a driving penalty after assessing that a speeding course was not compatible with her security, privacy and political concerns…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday he had decided not to investigate interior minister Suella Braverman over her handling of a speeding offence last year, ruling that her actions did not breach the ministerial code.

Sunak’s decision came after he took four days to consider his response to a Sunday Times report that Braverman had asked officials to help arrange a private driving-awareness course to stop her speeding violation from becoming public knowledge. “My decision is that these matters do not amount to a breach of the Ministerial Code,” Sunak said in a letter to Braverman, referring to the rules governing ministerial behaviour.

“As you have recognised, a better course of action could have been taken to avoid giving rise to the perception of impropriety.” Opposition parties had called on the prime minister to investigate whether Braverman breached the ministerial code over her handling of the incident. Ministers are barred from using government officials to help with their personal affairs.

Braverman said in a letter to Sunak she had asked officials whether doing a speeding course was appropriate given that her new role as interior minister meant she was a protected person, and that she had a “lack of familiarity with protocol”. She said her discussions were in order to maintain her privacy and security, and that she had stopped discussing them with officials after receiving advice that it was not an appropriate matter for civil servants to look into.

She eventually decided to take a driving penalty after assessing that a speeding course was not compatible with her security, privacy and political concerns. She apologised for the distraction she had caused. “In hindsight, or if faced with a similar situation again, I would have chosen a different course of action. I sought to explore whether bespoke arrangements were possible, given my personal circumstances as a security-protected minister,” she wrote to Sunak.

“I recognise how some people have construed this as me seeking to avoid sanction – at no point was that the intention or outcome.”

ALSO READ-Braverman pledges to curb migration

Previous Story

Meta to lay off almost 20% of Irish workforce

Next Story

Imran Khan, wife placed on no-fly list

Latest from -Top News

Kenyans put president on notice

Kenya’s fifth president became a remarkably unpopular leader barely two years into his presidency after proposing aggressive tax measures that many saw as a betrayal of his campaign promise to support working-class

World Bank grants South Africa a $1.5 bn loan

Deteriorating rail systems, jammed ports and frequent blackouts have hindered vital industries like mining and auto manufacturing in South Africa, contributing to slow economic growth over the last decade in Africa’s most

Judge halts Trump from dismantling USADF

Congress established USADF as an independent agency in 1980, with the mandate to support economic development initiatives in AfricaXXX In a significant legal development, a federal judge in Washington, DC, has temporarily

BRICS Bank Welcomes Colombia, Uzbekistan

The bank’s Board of Governors approved the accession of the two countries, bringing the total membership to 11….reports Asian Lite News Colombia and Uzbekistan have joined the New Development Bank (NDB), expanding
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Jaishankar, Sunak discuss FTA 

The duo also discussed shared global challenges, including the situation

Sunak Apologizes for Infected Blood Scandal

The scandal has been called “the worst treatment disaster” in