A Speeding Scandal In The UK Threatens A Political Clash

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Those caught speeding in the UK usually have a choice between paying a fine and taking three points off their driving license or taking a speed awareness course. The smart play is to take the course. So when she was caught speeding while still attorney general, Interior Secretary Suella Braverman checked that option.

So far, so related. In fact, several deputies and ministers have been caught speeding and have had to accept the consequences. But Braverman allegedly wanted to avoid a media field day around appearing publicly in the naughty room. Reports over the weekend said he asked an official to help him send the penalty without a group course. She was reportedly turned down as the civil service code prevents them from acting on private matters or in a manner that would be interpreted as party politics. (When his political office couldn’t arrange a private course either, he gave up and took the points.)

Well, the media field day came anyway. Sunak was stuck answering questions about Braverman’s speeding ticket at the G7 conference in Hiroshima and then had to consult with his ethics adviser. Braverman’s role is now in question, and he spent Monday trying to reassure MPs and the public that “nothing negative has happened”.

Allegations of impropriety seem almost outlandish when faced with the kinds of scandals that brought down Boris Johnson and others, to say nothing of what is considered a major scandal in the United States or elsewhere. But the row comes in the same week that the government is due to release figures expected to show a significant jump in immigration levels, an issue that is drawing public attention and has divided the Conservative party. Sunak has also lost three cabinet ministers to ethics scandals, two to bullying and one to failure to declare a tax investigation that resulted in a sanction. Those losses didn’t cause lasting damage, but the situation surrounding Braverman poses a different challenge.

A one-time and future candidate for the party’s leadership, she has a strong following on the right of the party, particularly among those who believe that the Conservatives’ only path to electoral victory (or even viability in the future) is take a tougher line on immigration. She was the architect of the Illegal Migration Act, which criminalizes anyone who arrives in the UK without permission. She is so excited about Britain’s new deportation policy that she spoke about the interior design of Rwandan refugee shelters. His speech last week to a conference on “national conservatism” argued that Britain should train more fruit pickers and lorry drivers to reduce immigration.

Braverman’s supporters tend to blame this latest scandal on a woke civil service, or factions in parliament, who they accuse of enforcing rules and weapons codes to get rid of mainly right-wing officials whose political agendas don’t they like

However, Sunak could not put the matter aside, even if he was tempted. He has staked his electoral hopes on both a record of delivery and a reputation for accountability. Another breach of the ministerial code by a senior official, although seemingly minor, reflects badly on him and his party in general. And Sunak has already given Braverman a pass by reinstating her after being sacked by Liz Truss after admitting data breaches. Doing so a second time, if the allegation is confirmed, would look like the double standard that eroded public confidence in Johnson’s government. This would threaten Sunak’s attempts to close the electoral gap with Labor and restore confidence in his party.

Sunak consulted ethics counsel Laurie Magnus for guidance; maybe everything will fall apart. If not, the final decision will be the prime minister’s. If Sunak loses his home secretary, he risks being accused by a large segment of his party of breaking his promises on immigration and marginalizing a key wing of the Tories. If he succeeds in keeping Braverman, he will be accused by Labor (which faces a dilemma of its own over immigration policy) of putting political expediency ahead of its commitment to integrity for a second time.

The problem with speeding is that it can lead to an accident.