Rishi Sunak has said he deeply regrets not wearing a seatbelt last week as a passenger in a moving car.

On Friday, Lancashire Constabulary announced it was fining the prime minister after he was spotted not wearing a seatbelt in an Instagram video to promote levelling-up funding during a visit to the county.

The police force did not reveal how much Mr Sunak was fined, but fixed penalty notices for seatbelt offences are usually £100, rising to up to £500 if taken to court.

The PM agreed to pay the fine and Downing Street issued an apology on his behalf.

Politics news – latest: ‘Evidence’ Zahawi’s TV interview defence was ‘not true’

Asked on Monday during a visit to Berrywood Hospital in Northampton whether he would personally apologise for his actions, Mr Sunak said: “Yes, I regret not wearing a seatbelt.”

Mr Sunak was also asked whether the public could trust him to follow the “laws of the land”, and he replied: “Of course I do (follow the law).

“In this instance, I made a mistake which I regret deeply and that’s why I apologised straight away.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

This makes him the second serving prime minister – after Boris Johnson – to be found to have broken the law while in office.

Mr Sunak has previously been fined by the Metropolitan Police for breaking lockdown rules. Last year he was caught up in the “partygate” scandal, receiving a fine alongside Mr Johnson for attending a gathering to mark the then-PM’s 56th birthday.

Labour has criticised Mr Sunak for failing to wear a seatbelt, branding him a “total liability” and “hapless”.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “From partygate to seatbelt gate, these Conservative politicians are just taking the British people for fools.”

Mr Sunak’s premiership has been hit with a series of controversies since he entered Number 10 in October.

He is facing calls to sack Nadhim Zahawi as Tory party chairman after details of a multi-million pound tax dispute emerged.

Mr Zahawi settled his tax issue with HMRC while he was serving as chancellor, a government source has told Sky News.

Related posts:

Say hello and bag the dog poo – the Countryside Code is relaunched Baby and young children among people in Channel brought ashore after more than 150 migrants crossed into UK British tennis player Emma Raducanu through to quarter-finals of US Open Girls as young as seven experiencing ‘devastating’ fall in their happiness thanks to online abuse Who can get a coronavirus booster jab – and when? Man and woman seriously injured in explosion at Portsmouth house Ukrainian activist breaks down in tears as she confronts PM about lack of no-fly zone Man charged after pedicab and car collision in London kills woman in her 30s Rare ‘extreme heat warning’ issued as temperatures set to soar this week Gritters being taken out of hibernation to save nation’s melting roads Yellow weather warnings issued as heavy rain could cause travel chaos amid train strike Two boys, both 16, stabbed to death around a mile apart in southeast London