Prime Minister consults ethics advisor after Suella Braverman is accused of seeking preferential treatment to handle her speeding violation.
ADVERTISEMENTBritish Home Secretary Suella Braverman is in yet more political trouble after coming under suspicion of trying to get preferential treatment over a speeding ticket.
According to the Sunday Times, which broke the story, after being fined for speeding the minister asked advisers to arrange for her to take a private speed awareness course to avoid taking the class with other motorists.
The case caught up with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the G7 summit in Japan. When asked by reporters, he said he "doesn't know all the details about what happened.
"I understand that she has expressed regret for the speeding, accepted the penalty and paid the fine," he said. His spokesman said the minister "of course" had the confidence of the Prime Minister.
Speaking on Monday, Braverman said she was "confident nothing untoward happened".
Speaking while she was on a trip to a children's charity in London, she said: "Last summer I was speeding, I regret that, I paid the fine and I took the points."
Rishi Sunak has consulted his ethics advisor to investigate if any rules were broken. The BBC reported that it had been told by the Prime Minister's official spokesman that he was "still gathering information".
Opposition parties have called for an investigation. Labour says the minister broke the rules of the ministerial code, which could lead to her departure from the government.
Speaking to the BBC, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it looked like "inappropriate action took place" from the home secretary that "needs to be fully investigated".
"The usual consequence of breaking the ministerial code is that you'll go," he added.
Suella Braverman's appointment had previously been criticised by some because she had to resign from the previous government for having improperly sent an official document from a personal email address.