George Freeman, the Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk and a former transport minister, has been fined and received six penalty points on his driving license for using a mobile phone while driving. He pleaded guilty to the offenses at Stratford Magistrates' Court on September 1, 2024.
Freeman was fined £430 and ordered to pay a £172 surcharge for justice services, along with £130 in costs to the Metropolitan Police. He stated that he was checking a navigation app while stuck in traffic and "deeply regrets" his actions.
The court heard that a cyclist reported Freeman to the police after observing him using his phone behind the wheel. Freeman, who served as transport minister under Boris Johnson from July 2019 to February 2020, has been a Member of Parliament for Mid Norfolk since 2010.
In 2023, Freeman stepped down as science minister, citing his inability to afford rising mortgage payments on a ministerial salary of nearly £120,000. This decision allowed him to pursue additional income through second jobs alongside his MP's salary of £86,584. He began working as a paid adviser for GHGSat, a company monitoring greenhouse gas emissions, in April 2024. Last year, he was suspended as a government trade envoy after referring himself to the parliamentary watchdog amid claims that a GHGSat director assisted him in drafting questions to government departments.