Suella Braverman escapes ethics probe into speeding row
Suella Braverman has escaped an ethics investigation over claims she asked civil servants whether they could arrange her a private speeding awareness course.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed no “further investigation” will take place into the row and said he was “reassured [Braverman] takes these matters seriously”.
In a letter to the home secretary, the PM said he had spoken to his independent ethics advisor Sir Laurie Magnus who had advised “on this occasion further investigation is not necessary and I have accepted that advice”.
Sunak added: “My decision is that these matters do not amount to a breach of the Ministerial Code…. you have provided a thorough account, apologised and expressed regret.”
But he also noted, as his former Tory leadership rival had accepted, “a better course of action could have been taken to avoid giving rise to the perception of impropriety”.
‘Lack of familiarity’
In her letter to the PM, Braverman said she had booked onto the course after being caught speeding before taking up her role as home secretary in September 2022.
She wrote: “I informed officials in my Home Office Private Office (PO) about the course and asked whether it was appropriate given my new role.
“This reflected my lack of familiarity with protocol relating to my newly acquired official status as a ‘protected person’ which means I am required to have a close protection security team.”
Braverman said there were “logistical, security, privacy, media, and therefore political considerations involved” and that she considered asking officials for input “appropriate”.
She added: “I accept that I was speeding and regret doing so. At no point did I try to avoid sanction.
“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… at no point did I instruct officials to behave contrary to the advice that was provided.”
Africa Justice Foundation
It comes after Braverman was accused of fresh alleged ministerial code breaches over her failure to formally disclose previous years of work with the Rwandan government.
She founded charity the Africa Justice Foundation with Cherie Blair which trained government lawyers in the country between 2010 to 2015, the Independent reported.
The now-home secretary did not officially disclose her links when appointed in 2022, despite the government’s £140m deal to send asylum seekers to Rwanda amid human rights fears.
The government is widely expected to face backlash over its immigration figures, set to be released on Thursday, which are anticipated to be significantly higher than promised.
‘Cop out?’
Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “This is a cowardly cop-out from Rishi Sunak.
“With every scandal, we see the Prime Minister dither, delay and flip-flop – never taking decisive action.
“This is not the leadership the country needs during such a severe cost-of-living crisis. Sunak is too weak to even order an investigation, let alone sack his home secretary.
“Sunak had the chance to do the right thing but instead he’s once again chosen to be ruled by his own hardline backbenchers. He may be in office but he is barely in power.”