Rishi Sunak decides not to investigate claims Suella Braverman broke rules over speeding course

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he'll not be investigating whether a member of his government broke the rules after getting a speeding ticket for her driving.

Suella Braverman who is the home secretary was caught speeding last summer.

She was given the option of getting a three-point penalty on her driving licence and a fine, or joining a speed awareness course as part of a group.

But rather then joining the group course, she tried to arrange a one-to-one awareness course instead.

Why were the home secretary's actions controversial?

Opposition government ministers argued that in looking into doing a private course, the home secretary broke the rules - called a ministerial code - and they said her actions should be investigated.

The row wasn't about the speeding offence itself, but whether it was right or wrong for her try to organise a private speed awareness course.

At the time this happened, Mrs Braverman was not home secretary, but had the job of attorney general - advising the government, government departments and ministers on legal matters.

The home secretary's actions will not be investigated by the prime minister

Prime minister Rishi Sunak had said he would discuss what had happened and how Mrs Braverman handled the speeding offence with his ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus earlier this week.

After consulting his adviser, Mr Sunak said he thought an investigation wasn't needed.

The prime minister wrote a letter to Mrs Braverman which stated that he'd decided her actions didn't "amount to a breach of the ministerial code", after speaking to Sir Laurie Magnus.

Mr Sunak also made it clear that while steps could have been taken to avoid the appearance of what some believed to be improper behaviour by the home secretary, he felt Mrs Braverman took "these matters seriously" and had "expressed regret".

In a speed awareness course drivers take part in activities that involve relearning the rules of the road, driver assessment and practical instruction

What has Suella Braverman said about the situation?

The home secretary wrote a letter to the prime minister in which she said she regretted speeding and insisted that she was not trying to avoid receiving the necessary consequences for her actions.

"My actions were always directed toward finding an appropriate way to participate in the speed awareness course, taking into account my new role as home secretary and the necessary security and privacy issues that this raised," Mrs Braverman wrote.

"My interactions with officials intended to provide appropriate clarification of the options available to me in my role as home secretary. Whenever I was informed that a possible option was not available, I accepted that. At no point did I instruct officials to behave contrary to the advice that was provided."

Mrs Braverman was promoted to home secretary under Liz Truss, but later stepped down before being reappointed by current PM Rishi Sunak

What have others said about the situation?

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner and the Liberal Democrats had both called for an investigation and said Mr Sunak needed to make a statement in Parliament about the claims.

However, before Mr Sunak's decision to not carry out an investigation, a government source had denied Mrs Braverman's actions broke the ministerial code.

The Liberal Democrats have since described Mr Sunak's decision as "a cowardly cop-out".

"Sunak is too weak to even order an investigation, let alone sack his home secretary," the party's chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said.

During Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions (PMQS), Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer suggested Mr Sunak was too weak to sack the home secretary following her actions.