Rishi Sunak from UK sorry for not wearing seat belt in back of car
LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologized on Thursday after taking off his seatbelt to film a campaign video in the back of a moving car.
Sunak’s spokesperson said the British leader had made a “brief error of judgement” in giving up the belt as he recorded a social media hit aimed at talking about the government’s local funding plans.
In the clip, saved for Instagram, Sunak addresses the camera without wearing the safety device as the vehicle he is in continues to move. Under UK law, drivers and passengers can face a fine of up to £500 for not wearing a seat belt while a vehicle is in motion, with some limited exemptions including for emergency service workers.
The Downing Street spokesman said Sunak – who had previously been fined by police for breaking coronavirus rules – “fully accepts it was a mistake and apologises”.
The spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister believes everyone should wear a seatbelt.
“It was an error in judgement, he took it off for a short time to film a clip, which you saw, but he accepts it was a mistake.”
The gaffe was seized on by the opposition Labour, who tried to hammer Sunak over an earlier clip which showed him struggling to use a contactless debit card.
“Rishi Sunak doesn’t know how to handle a seatbelt, his debit card, a train service, the economy, this country,” a Labor spokesman said. “This list is growing every day, and it makes for endless painful viewing.”
