Security Minister Tom Tugendhat (PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)Security minister Tom Tugendhat faces a possible motoring ban after being stopped by police for using a mobile phone while driving through south-west London.
The Conservative MP is accused of breaking the law on April 14 while at the wheel of a Skoda on Wandsworth High Street.
Mr Tugendhat, who ran for the Tory leadership after Boris Johnson’s departure, used his phone to navigate and had the device in his hand when seen by police.
He is being prosecuted behind closed doors under the single justice procedure at Bromley magistrates court, with a hearing scheduled for Friday.
Police told the court the minister had already tried to pay a fine over the incident and surrendered his driving licence when he was first contacted in April. However, the matter had to be taken to court as he already has six penalty points on his licence, and faces a possible driving ban if convicted.
A police officer spotted Mr Tugendhat using a mobile in Wandsworth High Street at 2.30pm.
The officer told the court: “The device was being held in his left hand. The driver appeared to be having a conversation. He did not appear to be operating the device.
“I pointed out the offence where he confirmed the communication was using maps.”
The officer added that Mr Tugendhat made no comment after being given a police caution.
The minister’s possible conviction is the latest headache for new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is already battling criticism over the appointment of Home Secretary Suella Braverman, days after she resigned from the post.
Mr Tugendhat was elected as the MP for Tonbridge and Malling in 2015, and was appointed Minister for Security in September by the then Prime Minister Liz Truss, a role he has retained in Mr Sunak’s government.
A notice of intended prosecution was sent to Mr Tugendhat’s home in Clapham. A court official told the Evening Standard he had not replied to the letter or entered a plea in writing.
If convicted, he would face a fine and a further six points on his licence, putting him at risk of an automatic six-month driving ban.
A spokesman for Mr Tugendhat said: “Tom accepts that holding his phone while driving is an offence.
“Tom immediately put himself on a driving course of his own volition. He received the court documents six months later and has entered a guilty plea.
“He apologises unreservedly and will accept the outcome of the case.”
It is understood the Home Office permanent secretary was informed about the offence when Mr Tugendhat became a minister in September.
