22 May 2023 , 14:41
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Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle shut down Suella Braverman as she went on a bizarre rant about paedophiles to distract from her speeding row.
The Home Secretary faced a grilling from MPs over claims she asked civil servants if she could avoid attending a public driving awareness course.
In the Commons, Mrs Braverman appeared rattled as Labour frontbenchers demanded to know what exactly had gone on.
Shadow Home Office minister Sarah Jones said: “The Home Secretary rightly said that antisocial behaviour brings misery and menace.
“As part of local antisocial behaviour plans, neighbourhood and traffic police across the country will rightly be cracking down on speeding and dangerous driving.
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Rishi Sunak is facing calls to launch an investigation in Suella Braverman's behaviour (UK PARLIAMENT/AFP via Getty Imag)“Does the Home Secretary think people who speed should be given the option to get private speeding awareness courses rather than doing them with everyone else?
“And in her own case, what exactly did she ask her civil servants to help her with?”
Mrs Braverman admitted that she had been caught speeding, saying that she regretted it.
“I paid the fine and I accepted the points and at no point did I seek to evade the sanction.”
But she then launched into a diatribe about the Labour Party.
“Let's be honest about what this is all about,” the Tory said. “Mr Speaker, the shadow minister would rather distract really, frankly from the abject failure by the Labour Party to offer any serious proposals on crime or policing.
Suella Braverman admitted she was caught speeding last summer (Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)“They want to talk about this because it distracts from the fact that they voted against tougher sentences for paedophiles and murderers.”
She went on: “They would rather the country doesn't notice their total abandonment of their British people. This government is focusing on delivering.”
But Sir Lindsay interrupted Mrs Braverman and stopped her from continuing. “Can I just say the Home Secretary she did say she didn't want to be repetitive and that goes all around the chamber as well,” he said.
Labour MPs later could be heard laughing as a Conservative MP mentioned driving in a question to the Home Secretary.
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Sedgefield MP Paul Howell congratulated Mrs Braverman for "driving this increase in police numbers on the street".
Labour backbenchers began to laugh as the Tory MP continued his question to Ms Braverman.
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