British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was fined by police on Friday for failing to wear a seatbelt, dealing the Conservative leader a potentially embarrassing blow as he attempts to reverse his party's misfortunes, Trend reports citing Euronews.
Sunak had uploaded a video on social media platform Instagram on Thursday, which showed the premier sitting in the back seat of a car while travelling through north-west England.
Users subsequently noticed the PM had not buckled up, and widely shared the clip online, catching law enforcement's attention.
Sunak's spokesperson eventually apologised for the "brief error of judgment", but the die had already been cast: local police investigated and ultimately issued the premier with a fine.
Releasing a statement on Twitter, Lancashire police announced the news without directly naming Sunak.
"Following the circulation of a video on social media showing an individual failing to wear a seat belt while a passenger in a moving car... [we] have issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty," the tweet read.
In England, a person can be fined up to £620 (€708) for failing to wear a seatbelt, bar certain exceptions such as for emergency services, in a taxi or when a driver is reversing.