UK Immigration minister banned from driving for six months for speeding

UK Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has been disqualified from driving for six months for breaking a temporary motorway speed limit by almost 30mph.

The Minister was also fined £1,639 after admitting to travelling at 68mph in the 40mph limit area on 5 August last year.

The case was dealt with through a Single Justice Procedure at Northampton Magistrates Court, which allows a magistrate to rule on criminal cases seen as minor in a closed court, meaning the public and press cannot attend.

They also allow defendants to plead guilty or not guilty in writing which meant that Mr Jenrick did not have to attend court in person.

Responding to the sentence, Mr Jenrick said: "I accept the court's decision.

"I was driving below the national speed limit on an empty motorway, with no road works in sight.

"I now understand that a variable speed limit had been applied, which I didn't see.

"I wouldn't knowingly exceed the speed limit."

The offence took place between junctions 18 and 17 on the southbound motorway, the Courts and Tribunals Service Centre said.

Mr Jenrick was travelling after an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions at Wakefield Cathedral when he was caught by a speed camera in his Land Rover at around 11.30pm, the London Evening Standard reported.

The newspaper had previously said Mr Jenrick was fined £307 and handed three penalty points in March for speeding on the A40 in west London in August 2021.

The fine for the latest offence included a £1,107 penalty, a £442 victim surcharge fee and £90 in costs.

Mr Jenrick is not the only minister to face a fine recently. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was fined for not wearing his seatbelt while filming a levelling up video in the back of a car earlier this year.

While in November security minister Tom Tugendhat was banned from driving for six months after he was caught using his phone behind the wheel.