Just what is it with Labour and transport? Less than five months after Louise Haigh was forced to resign as Secretary of State for her missing phone debacle, now another tech-loving transport minister is in hot water again. This time it is Peter Hendy, ennobled last summer and instilled as a junior minister at the Department for Transport. But it seems that roads could be the undoing of the new Rail Minister, according to the Times.
The paper reports that Hendy has now admitted using a mobile phone at the wheel of a double-decker bus before subsequently reporting himself to the police. He was spotted texting a friend by a passenger while driving his vintage Routemaster through central London for charity at rush hour in March; the Met has now opened inquiries. A spokesman for the former Transport for London boss told the Times that ‘Last month Peter Hendy used his phone while driving. He has apologised in full for this error of judgement and has contacted the police.’ Talk about government going off the rails.
In 2022 Tory minister Tom Tugendhat got a six-month ban for using his phone at the wheel. What might Hendy now get? Downing Street are reportedly waiting to see the findings of the Met investigation before deciding whether to launch an ethics probe. How brave! Hendy will just have to hope that the rozzers don’t find that he has run out of road…
Comments