Police tell Rishi Sunak to put pet dog on leash in Hyde Park

PTI

London, March 15

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty were "reminded of rules" by the police after they were spotted walking their dog in Hyde Park here without a lead - in an area where dogs are not allowed to roam free, officials said.

In a clip posted on TikTok, Sunak's two-year-old Labrador Retriever, Nova, is seen wandering around near the edge of Serpentine lake on Saturday, in an area where signs clearly state that dogs must be kept on leads to avoid disturbing the local wildlife, the Telegraph newspaper reported.

The 42-year-old Indian-origin prime minister and his family were filmed apparently breaking the rules of Hyde Park in central London.

The police officer involved was one of the prime minister's close protection team, the BBC reported.

The Metropolitan Police force said: “An officer, who was present at the time, spoke to a woman and reminded her of the rules,” apparently referring to Sunak's wife Akshata.

The police said the dog was then put back on the lead, adding they would take no further action. It is not clear when the video was filmed.

A Downing Street spokesperson said it would not comment on the video when asked if Sunak would apologise.

This is not the first time a video has got the prime minister in trouble.

It comes less than two months after Sunak was fined by police for failing to wear a seatbelt in a moving car.

Sunak apologised for “an error of judgment” and was handed a fixed-penalty notice by Lancashire police for the offence, which can result in a fine of up to 500 pounds.

The incident came to light after Sunak posted a video of himself to social media while travelling in the back seat of a car. 

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