Suella Braverman has refused to say whether or not she asked government workers to set up a speeding course for her, but she has said that she is “confident that nothing bad happened.”
In 2022, the home secretary was caught speeding and asked the civil service for help setting up a private course to teach people about driving.
A government source said that she did not break the ministry code.
Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, has talked to his ethics expert about the case.
Related Posts
The home secretary is being looked at not because of the speeding offense but because of the one-on-one speed awareness course and how she dealt with the civil service.
When Ms. Braverman was caught speeding, she had to choose between getting three points on her license and a fine or taking a course with a group.
A government source told the BBC that the top minister was “concerned” about her insurance premiums and wanted to take a course.
Mrs. Braverman asked government workers about a one-on-one course because she was worried about security if she took a system with a group. She was told that it had nothing to do with the government.
She then asked a special assistant to try to set up a private course.
When the speed course provider told Mrs. Braverman she couldn’t do this, she paid the fine and took the points because she was “very busy,” a BBC source said. At this point, she was back in Mr. Sunak’s government as the home secretary.
The same government source wouldn’t say if Mrs. Braverman took the course secretly to avoid being recognized by the public.
The Ministerial Code says that ministers must ensure “no conflict arises” between their public duties and private interests.
In an interview, Mrs. Braverman was repeatedly asked if she had told officials to set up a one-on-one driving course. She said, “I regret speeding last summer. I paid the fine and took the points.”
When asked if she would like a probe or if she had talked to the prime minister about what happened, Ms. Braverman said, “I am focused on my job as home secretary.”
Sir Philip Rycroft, a former top civil servant, said on BBC Radio 4’s “Westminster Hour” that Mrs. Braverman’s actions seemed to be a “real lapse of judgement.”
“It’s clear that there are still things to look into and do, but the code is obvious. Ministers must ensure that their public tasks and private interests don’t clash or even look like they might.
“It’s impossible for a civil servant to answer your question about how she could go on one of these classes.
The ministerial code tells ministers what behavior is expected of them, like ensuring the civil service stays politically neutral.
This morning, the prime minister talked to his ethics expert about the case.
Downing Street said the prime minister is getting the information right now, and Mr. Sunak still trusts the home secretary.
The official spokesperson for the prime minister would not say if Mr. Sunak has talked to Mrs. Braverman since returning from Japan. The BBC knows there is no probe into what the home secretary did.
Ms. Braverman got to Downing Street around lunchtime and is now in Number 10.
“Completely looked into.”
On Monday afternoon, Mrs. Braverman will be in the Commons to answer questions about the Home Office.
Before that, the leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, said that the prime minister should tell his advisor, Sir Laurie Magnus, to find out if ministry rules were broken.
Sir Keir told BBC Breakfast that it seemed like the home secretary had done something wrong that “needs to be fully investigated.”
“Usually, if you break the ministerial code, you’ll lose your job,” he said.
The Liberal Democrats also want a probe and said that Mr. Sunak should talk about the claims in Parliament.
When Mr. Sunak was asked about the story at the G7 meeting over the weekend, he didn’t know anything about it until it was first reported in the Sunday Times. He refused to say if he would order a probe or not.
At a news conference, he also wouldn’t say that he supported Mrs. Braverman, but a Downing Street source later said that “of course” he did.
Mr. Sunak said, “I don’t know all the details of what happened, and I haven’t talked to the home secretary.”
“But I’ve heard that she’s apologized for speeding, taken the punishment, and paid the fine.”
After acting as attorney general from February 2020 to September 2022, Mrs. Braverman was promoted to home secretary and worked for Liz Truss.
She quit on October 19 after emailing an official document to a backbench MP. She said it was a “technical violation of the rules.” But after Liz Truss’s government fell apart six days later, Mr. Sunak gave her the same job back.
A person near the home secretary said, “Mrs. Braverman accepted three points for a speeding ticket she got last summer.
“The Cabinet Office was told about the situation, as Mrs. Braverman had asked. She wasn’t banned from driving, and she still isn’t.
A Cabinet Office spokesman said, “It wouldn’t be right to talk about whether or not government departments share advice or what it says.”
