LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has apologized for not wearing his seatbelt while in a car, a government spokesman said on Thursday, in order to shoot a clip for social media.
The clip was widely shared by social media users in which Sunak discusses the latest government funding package to "upgrade" communities across the country while speaking to the camera from the back seat of his car without wearing a seatbelt.
"It was a simple miscalculation," the government spokesman told reporters on Thursday. "The prime minister took off his seatbelt to film a short clip ... and he fully admits that this was a mistake and apologises."
And anyone in Britain can pay a fine of up to 500 pounds (about 618 dollars) if they do not wear a seat belt, unless there is an exemption from that, such as available for emergency services, in the case of taking a taxi, or when the driver backs up.
Asked if Sunak enjoyed any exceptions when riding in a government car, the spokesman told reporters, "It was a mistake and he has apologised."