Rishi Sunak: Another member of his government facing legal consequences for breaking the law

Whether it is the Prime Minister himself, or members of his government, fines and bans keep popping up. The PM was caught not wearing his seatbelt in a moving car, and then walking his dog without a lead. His immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, has just been fined and banned from driving for six months after he was caught speeding.

The immigration minister was fined £1,600 for breaking the speed limit on the M1, while he was driving back from BBC Radio 4's Any Questions? last year. The Conservative MP for Newark was going 30 miles above the speed limit, driving at 68mph in a temporary 40mph zone, in Northamptonshire on 5 August 2022.

A guilty plea

On Tuesday 4 April 2023, the minister was found guilty and given his sentence: a £1,600 fine and a six-month driving ban. The case was held privately in Northampton, members of the public or the media were not allowed to attend. This is part of the new Single Justice Procedure in Northampton, which allows judges to rule in a closed court, without a public.

This private procedure was introduced for minor offences such as speeding as part of an effort to clear courtrooms of less important cases. The defendant is not required to attend this procedure.

According to Sky News, the minister argued he did not see the sign warning him of the speed limit, which would explain why he was speeding. He also said he would not have done it on purpose.

I was driving below the national speed limit on an empty motorway, with no road works in sight. I now understand that a variable speed limit had been applied, which I didn't see.

I wouldn't knowingly exceed the speed limit.

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Conservatives in a hurry

This is the second time Robert Jenrick is fined for speeding. According to the Evening Standard, in March 2022, he was fined £307 and handed three penalty points for breaking a 40mph speed limit in London. Both cases were held as private procedures, meaning the minister was able to plead guilty in writing, without showing up to court.

Earlier this year, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was fined by the police for not wearing his seatbelt in a moving car. His security minister, Tom Tugendhat, was also banned from driving for six months after being caught using his mobile phone while driving.

The leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt was also fined and given three penalty points for speeding, driving at 49mph in a 40mph zone in Putney. The same goes for Tory MP Lord Soames, who was also banned from driving for six months.

Read more:Rishi Sunak accused of 'running out of ideas' as new plan fails to impress

Sources used:

Guardian: Robert Jenrick banned from driving for six months for speeding

Evening Standard: Penny Mordaunt caught speeding in her Mini becomes latest Tory MP to be fined

Evening Standard: Minister Robert Jenrick disqualified from driving for six months for speeding

Sky News: Immigration minister Robert Jenrick banned from driving for six months for speeding