Children's secretary Ed Balls has been fined 60 and given points on his licence for using his mobile phone to make a call while driving.
Balls fell foul of the law - which originally came into play back in 2003, with the financial penalty doubling to 60 in 2007 in a bid to deter drives from texting or calling without hands-free kit while at the wheel - on Sunday, he confirmed.
"Driving from Yorkshire to London last Sunday evening with Yvette and our children, we pulled off the M1 because the road was closed ahead. Although our car has hands-free, I took my phone off the cradle because I did not want to wake the kids," he said in a statement posted on his website.
"We got waved down by a police car almost immediately and I accepted the fine and 3 points there and then. I 100% support the law on mobile phones - it's there to protect the safety of all drivers, passengers and pedestrians. I previously had no points on my licence and I accepted the 3 points without complaint."
While the standard penalties issued for using a mobile at the wheel are a 60 fine and three penalty points, much higher fines are issued for cases reaching court.
