Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has been fined for speeding on the M1 motorway.

The 58-year-old was caught doing 73mph in a temporary 60mph zone while driving a Ford B-Max on the M1 near Caddington in Bedfordshire.

It happened earlier this year but details were revealed by the Evening Standard on Wednesday.

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Sir Ed, who represented Kingston and Surbiton from 2017 until parliament was dissolved for the current election, was contacted by Bedfordshire Police about the incident, in which he admitted to being the driver, and was given the option to pay a fixed penalty fine and take a speed awareness course.

He wrote a letter of explanation in which he said he paid the fine but in a “genuine oversight” failed to provide his driving licence details to police.

This meant the matter was brought before a magistrates court to consider in March, although this type of case is dealt with via paperwork, not in person.

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Sir Ed wrote: “I apologise. The only mitigation for failing to provide my licence details was just being super busy and failing to read the form fully, having already accepted liability and made arrangements for the payment.

“Again, I apologise for that. I would like to add that I am the primary driver in a family of four, with two people who have serious mobility issues.

“My son has a lifelong undiagnosed disability which means he cannot walk – we use a Motability vehicle for him.

“My wife has MS, and walks very slowly with a stick, though she can drive as necessary. Thank you for any mitigation you feel able to show in my case.”

Read more:
Who is Sir Ed Davey?
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Sir Ed was fined £72 at Luton Magistrates’ Court, with a £28 victim surcharge and had three points added to his licence.

A Lib Dem spokesman said: “Ed inadvertently broke the speed limit on the M1, which he is sorry for.

“He has paid the fine and accepted the points on his licence.”

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Sir Ed has spent the first two weeks of the general election campaign showing off his penchant for activities, especially water-based ones.

He has been paddleboarding, gone down a water slide and whizzed down a hill on a bike for photo opportunities.

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