Rishi Sunak to consult ethics adviser over Suella Braverman speeding claims

Rishi Sunak is to consult his ethics adviser on Monday to discuss Suella Braverman's handling of a speeding offence.

The home secretary sought advice about arranging a private speed awareness course via officials and an aide, the BBC has been told.

Labour and the Lib Dems have called on the ethics adviser to investigate whether she breached the rules.

A government source denied she broke the ministerial code.

Mrs Braverman was caught speeding when she was attorney general last summer, and faced three points on her licence and a fine, or a course as part of a group.

She is under scrutiny, not over the speeding offence itself, but over whether she acted properly in trying to arrange a one-to-one awareness course.

On Monday the prime minister will talk to Sir Laurie Magnus, the independent official who opposition parties want to examine the claims, after he returns from the G7 summit in Japan.

Mr Sunak earlier declined to say whether he would be ordering an inquiry, when asked about the story at the summit.

Speaking at a news conference, he also declined to say he backed her - but a Downing Street source later said that "of course" he did.

"I don't know the full details of what has happened, nor have I spoken to the home secretary," Mr Sunak said.

"But I understand she has expressed regret for speeding, accepted the penalty and paid the fine."

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said the prime minister was "too weak" to sack her or launch an inquiry.

And the Liberal Democrats say Mr Sunak should make a statement in Parliament on Monday to "explain this farce".

"Rishi Sunak is so weak he can't even make sure his own ministers maintain the very basic level of integrity," the party's chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said.

After being caught speeding, Mrs Braverman was offered the choice of either a fine and points on her driving licence, or a speed awareness course.

A government source told the BBC the senior minister had been "concerned" about her insurance premiums, and favoured doing a course.

She asked civil servants about arranging a course for just her, citing security concerns about doing one as part of a group, but was told it was not a matter for the civil service.

Mrs Braverman then asked a special adviser to try to arrange a one-on-one course.

When the course provider told her there was no option to do a private course - and after she was reappointed home secretary in Mr Sunak's government - she opted to pay the fine and accept the points because she was "very busy" and did not have the time to do a course, the BBC has been told.

The same government source refused to say whether Mrs Braverman's motivation to do the course in private was to reduce the chances of her being recognised by members of the public.

The prime minister apparently did not know anything about what happened until the story broke in the Sunday Times.

This kind of headline, while he is wrangling world leaders abroad, is a headache at home that he certainly does not need.

Having promised on day one of his job that he would run a government with the highest levels of transparency and integrity, any slight suggestion that his team's behaviour is less than perfect creates political pain for him.

Speaking to Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Conservative cabinet member Therese Coffey said she knew no more about it than what she had read in the papers, while Tory MP Jake Berry said there were "definitely questions to be answered".

He said he expects the issue to be discussed in Parliament in the coming days. Mrs Braverman is already due in the Commons on Monday afternoon for Home Office questions.

Ministerial rules

The ministerial code sets standards of conduct expected of ministers, including that they must uphold the political impartiality of the civil service.

After serving as attorney general between February 2020 and September 2022, Mrs Braverman was promoted to home secretary under Liz Truss.

She resigned on October 19 after sending an official document from a personal email to a backbench MP - describing it as a "technical infringement of the rules". But she was reappointed to the same role by Mr Sunak six days later following the collapse of the Truss government.

A source close to the home secretary said: "Mrs Braverman accepted three points for a speeding offence which took place last summer.

"The Cabinet Office was made aware of the situation as requested by Mrs Braverman. She was not and is not disqualified from driving."

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: "It would not be appropriate to comment on the existence or content of advice between government departments."