Rishi Sunak plans to seek guidance from his ethics adviser regarding Suella Braverman's approach to a speeding offense.

The attorney general in 2022, Suella Braverman, sought advice from civil servants and an aide in arranging a private speed awareness course. A government source has refuted any violation of the ministerial code on her part.

Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, urged the prime minister to promptly instruct his adviser to investigate potential breaches of the rules.

The Liberal Democrats have also demanded an investigation and emphasized that Mr. Sunak should address the allegations in Parliament.

In the meantime, Mrs. Braverman is scheduled to appear in the House of Commons for Home Office questions on Monday afternoon.

Last summer, she was caught speeding and faced the options of receiving three points on her license and a fine or participating in a group speed awareness course.

The focus of scrutiny on the home secretary is not the speeding offense itself but whether she acted appropriately in attempting to arrange an individual awareness course.

In a letter addressed to Mr. Sunak, Ms. Rayner stated, "Cabinet members are bound by the same laws as the general public, and any effort to direct civil servants to secure special treatment in this matter would clearly constitute an unacceptable abuse of power and privilege by the home secretary."

In a separate declaration, Ms. Rayner expressed the opinion that the prime minister should display courage and instruct Sir Laurie Magnus, the independent adviser on ministerial interests, to thoroughly investigate this incident.

The prime minister, who was attending the G7 summit in Japan, will have a conversation with Sir Laurie upon his return. However, initiating an inquiry into a minister's conduct requires Mr. Sunak's authorization.

Following her speeding incident, Mrs. Braverman was given the option of either receiving a fine and points on her driver's license or attending a speed awareness course.

According to a government source, the senior minister had concerns about her insurance premiums and was inclined to opt for the course.

She sought advice from civil servants about arranging an individual course, expressing security concerns about participating in a group session. However, she was informed that this matter fell outside the purview of the civil service.

Subsequently, Mrs. Braverman asked a special adviser to explore the possibility of arranging a private course.

After being informed by the course provider that an individual option was unavailable, and following her reappointment as home secretary in Mr. Sunak's government, Mrs. Braverman decided to pay the fine and accept the points on her license. According to information received by the BBC, her reason for this decision was that she was occupied with her duties and did not have the time to attend a course.

When asked about Mrs. Braverman's intention to pursue a private course in order to minimize the risk of public recognition, the same government source declined to provide a response.

The ministerial code establishes the expected standards of conduct for ministers, which includes upholding the political impartiality of the civil service.

During an interview with the Westminster Hour on BBC Radio 4, former senior civil servant Sir Philip Rycroft expressed his view that Mrs. Braverman's alleged actions seemed to indicate a significant lapse in judgment.

He stated, "Clearly, there is still further investigation to be conducted, but the code is explicit. Ministers must ensure that there is no conflict or perceived conflict between their public responsibilities and their personal interests."

He also highlighted the potential predicament faced by civil servants when asked about participation in such courses.

According to reports, Mr. Sunak was unaware of the story until it was initially covered by the Sunday Times. When questioned about whether he would initiate an investigation at the G7 summit, he chose not to provide a response.

During a news conference, Mr. Sunak refrained from explicitly expressing his support for Mrs. Braverman. However, a source from Downing Street later affirmed that he did indeed support her.

"I am not fully aware of the complete details of the situation, nor have I had a conversation with the home secretary," stated Mr. Sunak.

"However, my understanding is that she has acknowledged her mistake in speeding, accepted the penalty, and paid the fine."

Following her tenure as attorney general from February 2020 to September 2022, Mrs. Braverman was promoted to the position of home secretary under Liz Truss.

On October 19, she resigned after sending an official document from her personal email to a backbench MP, acknowledging it as a "technical violation of the rules." However, she was reinstated as home secretary by Mr. Sunak six days later following the collapse of the Truss government.

A source close to the home secretary stated, "Mrs. Braverman accepted three penalty points for a speeding offense that occurred last summer. The Cabinet Office was informed of the situation as requested by Mrs. Braverman, and she is neither currently nor previously disqualified from driving."

In response to the matter, a spokesman from the Cabinet Office declined to comment on the existence or content of advice exchanged between government departments.