British Prime Minister Suella Braverman looks on as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attends a public event in Rochdale, northern England, April 3, 2023.
British Home Secretary Suella Braverman, the ultra-conservative, on Monday denied any wrongdoing in her handling of speeding tickets, which has once again put her the target of accusations of breaching official ethics.
Conservative sage Sunak vowed to restore integrity to the executive when he became prime minister in October after the turbulent tenures of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
But Braverman, the hardliner on Brexit who has been widely criticized for his anti-immigration rhetoric, could now be the subject of an ethics probe after he was accused of asking traffic officers not to take points off his driving license – Doing so in the awareness course instead – after being fined for speeding.
Braverman, who already had to resign under truce for using his personal email to send an official document to a colleague, downplayed the controversy.
“Last summer, I had an excess of speed. I am sorry for that,” he told deputies during a parliamentary appearance, repeating exactly the same statements he had made to the media earlier.
“I paid the fine and I accepted (that the points were withdrawn) and at no point did I try to evade the sanction,” he said.
However, in response to persistent questions from opposition representatives, he refused three times to explain what exactly he had asked the authorities.
“Time and again she tries to position herself above the norm,” lashed out at Labor MP Yvette Cooper, accusing Sunak of “weakness” for re-appointing her into her government following her previous resignation.
Upon his return from the G7 summit in Japan, Sunak also appeared in parliament and assured lawmakers that the allegations against Braverman would be investigated “properly” and “professionally”.
The prime minister confirmed he had already spoken about it with his ministerial ethics adviser, Laurie Magnus, which could open the door to a formal inquiry called for by the Labor opposition.
Since coming to power, Sunak has lost three members of his government due to allegations of harassment and lack of transparency in financial matters.
