Rishi Sunak facing backlash after being caught breaking the rules yet again

Rishi Sunak and his family have been spoken to by police after breaking the rules in a London park.

Sunak caught breaking the rules again

In a video shared on TikTok, Sunak could be seen walking with the family dog, two-year-old labrador retriever Nova, in Hyde Park,central London.

The video begins by focusing on a sign stating 'dogs must be kept on leads' and 'it is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to disturb wildlife'.

Nova can be seen roaming freely off the leash near the edge of Serpentine lake, before Sunak grabs the dog by the collar and a woman who appears to be his wife puts the leash back on. It is unclear when the video was filmed.

In response to the clip, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan police force said:

We are aware of a video showing a dog being walked off the lead in Hyde Park.

The spokesperson added 'An officer, who was present at the time, spoke to a woman and reminded her of the rules', seemingly referring to Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty.

The police said Nova was then put back on the leash, and that no further action would be taken.

The police officer who spoke to the Sunak family is believed to be the Prime Minister’s personal protection officer.

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Will Sunak apologise?

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister refused to comment, telling reporters:

I’m not going to be commenting on the filming of the Prime Minister’s family and private individuals.

You can see the video, it speaks for itself.

When asked whether Sunak would be apologising for breaking the park’s rules, the spokesperson responded:

As I say, I’m not going to comment on the video which you’ve seen.

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Not the first time Sunak has been in trouble

Sunak has been caught breaking the rules before. Early 2023, he was fined £100 by police for failing to wear a seatbelt while in a moving vehicle. The incident occurred while Sunak was filming a video for social media.

He has also recently faced backlash for his £2 million mansion's energy consumption amid the cost-of-living crisis in the UK. It was revealed that the heated swimming pool at his home in North Yorkshire uses so much energy that the local electricity network had to be upgraded to meet the demand. However, it is understood that Sunak paid for the building work himself.

Sources used:

The Guardian: 'Retrieve her! Police speak to Rishi Sunak’s family over off-lead dog'

Independent: 'Rishi Sunak’s family ‘reminded of rules’ by police after walking dog off lead'

BBC: 'Sunaks told to put dog on leash in Hyde Park'