‘There have to be standards in public life’ says Tory mayor Andy Street over Suella Braverman speeding row
A Tory mayor has said there should be “no compromise” when it comes to standards in public life following accusations the home secretary may have breached the ministerial code over a speeding fine.
Andy Street, the mayor of the West Midlands, said there “have to be standards in public life” as Rishi Sunak comes under pressure to launch an investigation into Suella Braverman’s conduct.
Asked about the story on the Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme, Mr Street said he could not provide details of what happened but added: “The point is very simple – there have to be standards in public life.
“I’m not going to sit here and make a comment about the home secretary, I genuinely do not know.
“What I do know is the prime minister has made it absolutely clear that for him standards in public life is an absolutely critical issue. I hope that’s how I conduct myself, I hope that’s how my party conducts itself.
“But there is no compromise over it because the public sniff out when you are not doing that and if we serve the public we have to reflect their best standards.”
The home secretary is battling allegations that she asked civil servants to help her avoid a group speeding awareness course to dodge a fine after she was caught speeding last summer.
The Sunday Times reported that Ms Braverman opted to attend a driving awareness course rather than accept a fine and points on her licence.
A spokesman for the home secretary said she “accepts that she was speeding last summer and regrets doing so”.
“She took the three points and paid the fine last year,” they added.
But the newspaper reported that instead of signing up for an in-person course with other motorists, or completing one online that would show her name and face to other participants, Ms Braverman allegedly asked civil servants to arrange a private one-to-one course.
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When the civil servants refused, she sought help from a political aide, who requested the private course organiser provided a private session, or allowed her to use an alias or turn her camera off.
When the provider refused, Ms Braverman opted to take the three points on her licence, the paper reported.
The paper’s sources close to the home secretary dispute that she breached the ministerial code and say the case was settled by her taking the points.
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Sophy Ridge presses Therese Coffey for more details on accusations against Suella Braverman
Mr Street’s comments add to the increasing pressure the prime minister is under to launch an investigation into the allegations against Ms Braverman.
At a press conference of the G7 in Japan, Mr Sunak repeatedly failed to back the home secretary and said he had not spoken to her about the speeding fine, but that he understood that she had “expressed regret” for the offence and accepted the penalty.
Mr Sunak has lost three senior colleagues to conduct scandals.
Sir Gavin Williamson quit his cabinet post last November after he was accused of bullying behaviour.
He was followed by Nadhim Zahawi, who was sacked as Tory party chair in January after an ethics inquiry into the handling of his tax affairs found a “serious breach” of the ministerial code.
And just last month Dominic Raab, a close ally of Mr Sunak, resigned as justice secretary after an independent investigation by a Adam Tolley KC upheld two claims of bullying against him.
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Labour and the Liberal Democrats have demanded that the prime minister take action in wake of the allegations made against his home secretary.
Shadow health minister Liz Kendall told Sophy Ridge Mr Sunak should ask his independent adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, to launch an investigation into whether there had been a breach of the ministerial code.
“I think a lot of people watching this programme will think, you know, why is it always one rule for them and another rule for everybody else?” she said.
Ms Kendall also referred to Ms Braverman’s decision to resign as home secretary under Liz Truss after she was found to have sent confidential documents to a fellow Tory MP.
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Lib Dem Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael also joined calls for an investigation, claiming that Mr Sunak’s refusal to do so far amounted to “stealing page one from the Boris Johnson playbook”
“Time and time again Sunak has put Conservative politicians who think they are above the rules in his cabinet, and every time they have taken the British people for fools,” he said.
“The home secretary must undergo an urgent investigation, every second she doesn’t is another blow to the integrity of this already sleaze-ridden prime minister.”
Banned from Eurovision after its invasion of Ukraine, Russia will hold a rival international song contest on Saturday, with an emphasis on “traditional values”.
Instead of camp, think conservative – patriotic pop with a PG-rating.
“Intervision” was launched under the order of Vladimir Putin, with the hope it would serve as an expression of Moscow’s international pulling power.
Intervision decorations in Red Square, Moscow, ahead of the contest
There are contestants from 23 countries, which are a mixture of Russia’s allies old and new, including Belarus, Cuba and Tajikistan as well as China, India and Saudi Arabia.
The odd one out is the United States, who’ll be represented by an artist called “Vassy”. She’s not part of an official delegation, but an American voice is still a coup for the Kremlin, which will seek to use this contest as proof of the West’s failure to isolate Russia on the global stage.
‘War whitewash’
Intervision is not entirely new. It was originally launched in the 1960s as an instrument of Soviet soft power, before largely fading from view in the 1980s.
According to Moscow, its revival has nothing to do with politics. But Ukraine has condemned it as propaganda, and an attempt to whitewash Russia’s war.
It was a point I put to some contestants after their final press conferences, but it didn’t go down well.
“We don’t think like that, we are here to spread peace,” India’s Rauhan Malik told me, when I asked if his participation was a show of support for Russia’s invasion.
Malik, one of the contestants
“Are you not turning a blind eye to Russia’s aggression?” I countered.
“I have no idea about it,” he said. “I have no idea about the current situation that’s happening. I don’t want to speak about that as well.”
Eurovision legends Abba would almost certainly not make the Russian contest guest list. Pic: AP
Really? He had no idea? But before I could go on, I felt a forceful hand on my shoulder and a minder stepped in.
The intervention was even quicker when it came to speaking to Brazil’s act. As soon as I mentioned the word Ukraine, I was drowned out by shouts of “no, no, no, no” and the duo were ushered away.
Brazilian contestants, duo Luciano Calazans and Thais Nader
Where’s the glitter?
Intervision is not just a reaction to Russia’s recent exclusion from Eurosivion, however, it’s also a reaction to the contest’s values and what it’s come to represent.
Its celebration of sexual diversity and LGBTQ+ rights are seen as a symbol of what the Kremlin calls the West’s moral decline. In contrast, Intervision organisers say their contest will promote “traditional, family values.”
Judging by the costumes on show ahead of last week’s draw, that translates to less glitter, more embroidery, with a thematic emphasis on national heritage.
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So what do Russians think of Intervision’s resurrection? Can it replace Eurovision?
“We don’t miss Eurovision,” Galina and Tatiana say, underneath a collection of purple and pink ‘Intervision’ flags near Red Square.
“It was so horrible, especially lately. We didn’t like watching it at all.”
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Why are countries boycotting Eurovision?
Polina agrees, believing Russia’s version will be “more interesting”.
“Many countries that participated in Eurovision want to boycott it, so it’s interesting to see a more peaceful event now,” she says.
Igor is more circumspect. “I’d like to believe that this isn’t a political event,” he says, “but rather an event that unites nations and people.”
Intervision will succeed in uniting some nations. But at the same time, it may only deepen divisions with others – further evidence that Russia and the West are singing very different tunes.
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