Cyclist catches ex transport minister looking at phone while driving to 'check Waze'

George Freeman was given a fine and penalty points on his licence after being caught using his phone while driving (Picture: AFP) A Tory MP has been fined after admitting to checking his phone while behind the wheel. George Freeman was given six penalty points on his licence after he was spotted looking at his mobile while driving. The Mid Suffolk MP said he was looking for an alternative route on Waze after getting stuck in traffic. Freeman was noticed by a passing cyclist who took a picture of the former transport minister and reported him to police. ‘I was sitting in gridlocked traffic and checking Waze on my phone.

I took full responsibility and deeply regret my actions,’ Freeman told the Mirror. He was fined £430, on top of a £172 surcharge to support justice services and £130 in costs to the Metropolitan Police, after pleading guilty today at Stratford Magistrates’ Court. First elected to the Commons in 2010, Freeman held various ministerial positions including science minister, under David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. He had previously campaigned for more investment in road safety following a spate of accidents in his constituency in 2014.

In 2023, Freeman quit as science minister, citing his inability to keep up with mortgage payments on a £120,000 salary. This freed him up to take on second jobs on top of his duties as an MP, for which he was then paid around £86,000 a year. He then took up a paid advisory role at GHGSat, a service monitoring greenhouse gas emissions, in April 2024. The former minister also served as trade envoy for Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Brunei, but was suspended from the position after self-referring to a parliamentary watchdog over claims that he was paid by a company that helped him write questions to government departments.

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