Prime minister decides home secretary did not breach ministerial code
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Home Secretary Suella Braverman will not face an inquiry into her handling of a speeding ticket after Premier Rishi Sunak ruled it was not a breach of the ministerial code.
The Sunday Times report said Braverman, after being caught speeding in 2022, sought advice on arranging a private speed awareness course through Home Office officials and an assistant.
After the revelations, opposition parties called on the prime minister's ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, to investigate whether she broke ministerial rules in the process.
However, the Home Secretary insisted on Monday that there was "nothing strange" about her handling of the matter.
After consulting with counsel on the case, Sunak said he decided not to order a formal investigation because "these matters do not constitute a violation of the ministerial code."
But in a letter to Braverman, he said: “As you have learned, a better course of action could have been taken to avoid any sense of impropriety.
Distraction'
In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary apologized for the "distraction" this had caused.
Braverman wrote, “As I say, in hindsight, or if faced with a similar situation again, I would have taken a different course of action. I have tried to explore whether tailor-made measures are possible, given my personal situation as a security minister.
“I realize how some people have interpreted this as me trying to avoid sanctions - that was by no means the intention or the result. However, given the fundamental importance of integrity in public life, I deeply regret that my actions may have given rise to such a perception and I apologize for the distraction it has caused.'
Speed course
Braverman was caught speeding in June 2022 while she was attorney general and was given the option of three penalty points or a group speed awareness course.
In a letter to the prime minister, she said she had decided to take the course and reserved a place, but after she was appointed home secretary in September, she asked officials whether a group meeting was appropriate given security concerns surrounding her new role.
Braverman said that in discussions with her Principal Private Secretary (PPS), she was advised that the Government's Office of Propriety and Ethics (PET) team would be the "best source of advice on whether it is appropriate to pursue the course in a way that protects my privacy, security and least disruptive to course participants and providers.”
The PET pointed out that it was "not an appropriate matter for state employees to deal with," Braverman said.
But she said her PPS had confirmed she could discuss the matter with her special advisers, who had raised concerns about her taking the online course because of the risk of a "hidden record" and difficulties with "appropriate safeguards" if she attended in-person sessions.
“The specialist advisers then contacted the course provider to gain a better understanding of the range of suitable options that may be available – and are consistent with the course provider's rules, policies and procedures,” she said.
“Based on this additional information, I have concluded that none of them can satisfactorily address the above security, privacy and policy concerns. So I decided to take the points and pay the fine, which I did in November.
"Cowardly Cop"
Braverman added: “I regret that my attempt to find a way to participate in the course in a way that would satisfy these concerns has allowed some to interpret a potential conflict of interest. In hindsight, I recognize that the better course of action would have been to collect points and fines in advance."
In his letter to the Home Secretary, Sunak said: “I am assured that you are taking these matters seriously. You provided a thorough report, apologized and expressed regret. It is vital that everyone in government upholds the high standards that the public rightly expect.”
The opposition Liberal Democrats called Sunak's decision a "cowardly ambush".
Party chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “Sunak had a chance to do the right thing but instead he is being re-elected to be ruled by his own hardliners. He may be in office, but he's hardly in power."
