Security minister Tom Tugendhat banned from driving over phone use

Security minister and Tory MP Tom Tugendhat has been banned from driving for six months after he was caught driving with his mobile phone in his hand.

The MP for Tonbridge and Malling, who lives in Clapham, was caught driving with the device in London on 14 April.

Judge Jack McGarva said at Westminster Magistrates’ Court: “Using a mobile phone in any way is a distraction.

“Without any doubt it impairs people’s ability to drive.”

He told the politician: “I would expect you to set a good example for the rest of us.”

Geraldine Dickinson, prosecuting, told the court a police officer pulled over the MP in Wandsworth High Street and saw the phone in his left hand.

She said the officer confirmed Mr Tugendhat was not using the phone to call emergency services and “it was confirmed that they were using maps”.

Defending, Paul Morris said his client accepted he would face a driving ban and did not offer any mitigation of “exceptional hardship” that would be caused by the ban.

Mr Tugendhat, who previously stood for leader of the Conservative Party, received six points on his licence for the offence, added to the six he already had for two previous driving offences.

He was also ordered to pay a £1,000 fine, a surcharge of £100 and costs of £110.

Previously, he had submitted a written guilty plea to Bromley magistrates in which he told the court that after the incident he had taken a course to refresh and correct his driving.

He attended an advanced driving course in May and was assessed as low risk, but the offence was sent for prosecution because he already had points on his record.

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