UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Ticketed For Filming Himself Without Seatbelt

Lancashire police have issued a fixed penalty to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for failing to wear a seatbelt when one was available. Sunak was caught after posting a video of himself on Instagram, addressing the country’s people from the back seat of a car.

Although it did not name Sunak, Lancashire Police tweeted this afternoon that it had “issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty,” 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 the recent video posted by Sunak, he can be seen turning to address the camera while speaking about government policy. It is clear in it, though, that he is not wearing a seatbelt, which led to the investigation from local police.

Sunak faces a £100 ($123 USD at current exchange rates) fine that can be increased to £500 ($619 USD) if the case goes to court. A representative for the Prime Minister’s office said that Sunak “fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologized,” according to the BBC. They added that he intends to pay his fine, which he will need to do within 28 days.

The Conservative Party member’s gaff is leading to criticism from across the aisle. The Labour Party, for instance, accused the prime minister of not knowing how to manage “his seatbelt, his debit card, a train service, the economy, the country,” per The Guardian.

Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem party’s deputy leader, said, meanwhile, that “From partygate to seatbelt gate, these Conservative politicians are just taking the British people for fools.” Her comments were a reference to a previous controversy, in which Sunak and then-prime minister Boris Johnson were fined for breaking lockdown rules in 2020. That makes this the second time that Sunak has received a fixed penalty while acting as a member of the government.