TETCHY Rishi Sunak today swerved questions on Suella Braverman – after she asked civil servants to help her dodge a public speeding course.
The PM said he’s not spoken to the Home Secretary and has no idea about the details of the case.
Rishi Sunak swerved questions about Suella Braverman’s speed awareness course
Mr Sunak declined to say he had confidence in her – but No10 insisted he did.
The PM refused to answer questions on whether he’ll open a new ethics probe into the Home Secretary – just six months after she was sacked for breaking the Ministerial code over using a personal email to brief MPs on upcoming new policies.
Ms Braverman is under fire after it was revealed she asked officials at the Home Office to see if she could do a speed awareness course privately rather than have to attend with up to 30 others online.
They declined to intervene on the personal matter and referred the matter to the cabinet office.
She then asked a political aide to look into the case but they were unsuccessful.
Ms Braverman then decided to take the three points on her driving licence instead to avoid having to attend the online course.
Mr Sunak declined to answer questions on whether he would launch a probe into the matter at a G7 closing press conference in Japan today.
He said he had not spoken with the Home Secretary, did not know the details of the case, but that she had “expressed regret and paid a fine”.
No10 insisted he had been too busy to speak to her yet thanks to a morning of meetings and bilateral chats with leaders.
Former Conservative Party chairman Sir Jake Berry said this morning that Ms Braverman had “questions to answer” over reports she asked civil servants to help her swerve speeding points by arranging a bespoke driving course.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, the senior Tory MP said: “I don’t think we’ve seen enough about this story yet.”
While shadow health minister Liz Kendall called for Mr Sunak to launch an investigation into whether the Home Secretary breached the standards of the ministerial code.
Therese Coffey, also speaking on TV this morning, said that she did not have any “extra information” about Ms Braverman’s case.
The Environment secretary said: “It is perfectly normal nowadays if people are found speeding to be offered points or to go on a course of some kind.”
The PM thanked Zeleneksy for coming in person to the G7 summit and said it was of “historic signifcance” he flew in to make the case for peace.
He insisted “we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes… their security is our security.”
He hailed Biden for a “breakthrough” in providing F16 jets to the front line and insisted a lasting peace must not just be a Russian ordered ceasefire.
The PM also dubbed China the “biggest challenge of our age to global security”.
They are becoming more “authoritarian at home and assertive abroad” he warned, but insisted our strategy was about “derisking not decoupling”.
