Ed Ballsed-up behind wheel but it’s (a) fine – and five points on his driving licence
Ed Balls managed to swerve a driving ban yesterday, his lawyers racing away from Leeds magistrates with just a £1,000 fine and five points for the shadow chancellor. The charge? He failed to stop after hitting a parked car. Of course, the Labour shadow minister is walking (or, driving) a thin line – he’s already got three points for running a red light. Four more and he’s out.
Politicians aren’t the only faces in the public eye that can get in trouble behind the wheel though – business leaders are proficient at it as well.
1. Phil Clarke – The outgoing Tesco CEO was banned from driving for six months last year after being caught speeding in his Jaguar XJ.
2. Audrey Baxter – The chair of the Baxters Soup empire was banned from driving for a year following a drink driving incident at Christmas 2011.
3. Tom Riall – The now chief executive of Priory Group was banned from driving for six months for speeding, the irony was he was chief exec of Serco at the time, the company in charge in installing speed cameras. Ouch.