British Home Secretary Suella Braverman, accused of seeking preferential treatment after speeding, defended herself from any irregularities in the case, which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reported to his ethics adviser. "I was ticketed for speeding. I paid the fine and took the points (withdrawn, editor's note). In my eyes, nothing inappropriate happened," Braverman told British television.
The right-wing boss of the "Home Office" has been in the middle of a storm since the press revealed this weekend that after being ticketed for speeding, Suella Braverman sought a special awareness course - rather than open to other offenders - to avoid penalty points on her driving licence. To do this, she allegedly asked officials of the administration she heads, who are supposed to remain politically neutral, to intervene.
Opposition wants investigation
Rishi Sunak's spokesman confirmed on Monday (May 22nd) that the head of the Conservative government has raised the issue with his ethics adviser Laurie Magnus, paving the way for a possible investigation, as demanded by the Labour opposition. Suella Braverman had last autumn had to resign from the government of the short-lived Liz Truss after sending official documents from a personal email address. Rishi Sunak's decision to reappoint her interior minister a few days after her resignation was strongly criticized.
See alsoSuella Braverman: "The France and the United Kingdom, together to fight illegal immigration"
Holding a hard line on security and immigration, the minister is maneuvering to try to keep the promise of the Prime Minister to "stop the boats" of migrants who arrive illegally in the United Kingdom and her firm speech has sparked several controversies. This new case comes a few days before the publication Thursday of potentially record legal immigration figures, against the backdrop, according to the press, of disagreement with the prime minister.
Since coming to power in October, marked by his stated desire to turn the page on the scandals of the Boris Johnson era, Rishi Sunak has lost three members of his government. One of them, Nadhim Zahawi, was sacked for his lack of transparency about his tax troubles, the other two, Gavin Williamson and Dominic Raab, resigned after accusations of harassment.