Blue plaque 'commemorates' spot Rishi Sunak filmed not wearing seatbelt in Blackpool

A new blue plaque has appeared on a lamppost 'commemorating' the spot where Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was filmed not wearing a seatbelt.

Mr Sunak received a fixed penalty notice after his own Instagram account posted a clip that showed him travelling in a car in Blackpool without wearing a seatbelt.

The plaque mimics the official versions commissioned by English Heritage to mark culturally important sites around the country.

It reads: "Rishi Sunak 19-01-23 received a fixed penalty notice for being filmed passing Squires Gate Lane while not wearing a seatbelt during his visit to Blackpool."

It is not known who placed the plaque on the lamppost on Squires Gate Lane, near Blackpool Airport.

Downing Street previously said the prime minister, 42, had made a “brief error of judgment” by removing the safety device as he promoted his Levelling Up funding when he visited Lancashire on 19 January.

The Conservative MP will pay the fine and “fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised”, a Number 10 spokesperson said.

Lancashire Constabulary did not reveal how much the fine was, but fixed penalty notices for seatbelt offences are usually £100, rising to up to £500 if taken to court.

A force spokesperson said: “You will be aware that a video has been circulating on social media showing an individual failing to wear a seatbelt while a passenger in a moving car in Lancashire.

“After looking into this matter, we have today issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of a fixed penalty.”

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