'Maybe Tories need the rules stapled to their desk, door, laptop & fridges!'
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has once again been accused of breaking the ministerial code, after she was alleged to have asked civil servants for help with a speeding fine that she received.
Braverman was caught speeding in a 50mph zone last summer when she was Attorney General. She was given the option of accepting a fine and points on her licence or attending a speed awareness course.
However, the MP for Fareham is alleged to have asked civil servants to help her to arrange a one-to-one course instead. By asking civil servants to get involved in a personal matter, Braverman is accused of breaking the ministerial code. The Home Secretary is reported to have asked for a bespoke arrangement so as to avoid having to attend an in-person course with other motorists, or an online course where her name could be seen by other drivers.
After civil servants refused the then Attorney General’s request, a political adviser is alleged to have stepped in to help, and is said to have explored options including her taking the course online without revealing her identity. In the end, Braverman opted to pay the fine.
The latest scandal involving Braverman has left Prime Minister Rishi Sunak facing growing pressure to launch an official probe into whether she broke the ministerial code.
Braverman was previously forced to quit as Home Secretary under Liz Truss after she sent an official document from her personal email to a fellow MP, in a serious breach of ministerial rules.
Reacting to the latest scandal, Braverman has been slammed for having an ‘enormous sense of entitlement’. LBC presenter James O’Brien said that although he hasn’t ever had a speeding ticket, he has seen one and he doesn’t remember seeing the option Suella Braverman sought out.
He said: “It does not say anywhere ‘oh and by the way if you’ve got an enormous sense of entitlement and you think you’re better than ordinary people you can pull some strings get the civil service involved and sort yourself out with a nice little one-on-one.’
Carol Vorderman tweeted: “So let’s get this right..
“Rishi Sunak, who’s under investigation for breach of ministerial rules himself, is now consulting about Braverman & her breach of ministerial rules?
“Maybe Tories need the rules stapled to their desk, door, laptop & fridges!”
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC the Prime Minister needed to “put his money where his mouth is” and “have an immediate investigation under the ministerial code”.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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