Rishi Sunak to consult ethics adviser over top minister’s handling of speeding fine

LONDON — Rishi Sunak will consult his ethics adviser amid pressure on Home Secretary Suella Braverman over her handling of a speeding offense.

According to reports in the Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday this weekend, Braverman — while attorney general in 2022 — asked civil servants to try and arrange a one-on-one driving awareness course after she was caught speeding.

In the U.K., people who have broken the speed limit can opt to attend a course rather than pay a fine — but these are usually run as group sessions. A private course could therefore have reduced the likelihood of other motorists recognizing the senior minister in a public session.

The officials reportedly refused to pursue the idea on advice from the Cabinet Office, with Braverman instead accepting a fine and points on her license.

Sunak will on Monday meet Laurie Magnus, his independent adviser on ministerial interests, to discuss the Braverman situation — which dominated the tail-end of the prime minister’s trip to Japan for the G7. The PM could ask Magnus to launch an investigation into whether Braverman broke the U.K.’s ministerial code.

The ministerial code says ministers “must not ask civil servants to act in any way which would conflict with the Civil Service Code,” which in turn says civil servants must not “misuse your official position” to “further your private interests or those of others.”

Braverman is likely to fiercely contest any suggestion she broke the code. A government official told POLITICO London Playbook that Braverman had asked “if” civil servants could help her, rather than ordering them to help.

The opposition Labour Party is already urging Sunak to order an inquiry.

“The prime minister needs to launch an investigation into this,” Labour Leader Keir Starmer told BBC Breakfast Monday. “From what we know, it looks as if inappropriate action has been taken from the home secretary. That needs to be fully investigated.”