Rishi Sunak has apologised for not wearing a seatbelt as he filmed a social media video in the back of a moving car.

Drivers and passengers over the age of 14 caught not wearing their seatbelts can bit fined up to £500. 

Mr Sunak has already received a fixed penalty notice for attending a Downing Street party during lockdown. 

 

 

According to the AA, 20 per cent of people killed in car accidents were not wearing seatbelts.

In the clip, recorded for Instagram, police motorbikes can be seen escorting Mr Sunak's car.

Labour compared it to a previous social media effort when Mr Sunak struggled to make a contactless payment with his card.

“Rishi Sunak doesn’t know how to manage a seatbelt, his debit card, a train service, the economy, this country,” a spokeswoman said.

“This list is growing every day, and it’s making for endless painful viewing.”

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “It seems like the PM is getting too used to flying around in private jets that he’s forgotten to wear a seatbelt in a car.

“The fact he’s breaking a basic law is just embarrassing and frankly dangerous.”

The AA warned of the dangers of not wearing a seatbelt.

“No matter who you are it is important to wear your seatbelt when in the car,” an AA spokesman said.

“In 2020, a fifth of all car occupant fatalities were not wearing a seatbelt.”

A Downing Street spokesman said: “That was a brief error of judgment. The Prime Minister removed his seatbelt to film a short clip.”

Mr Sunak “fully accepts this was a mistake and apologises”, the spokesman added.

“The Prime Minister believes everyone should wear a seatbelt,” the spokesman said.

“It was an error of judgment, he removed it for a short period of time to film a clip, which you’ve seen, but he accepts that was a mistake.”