SNP’s under-fire transport minister is charged with driving without insurance
(and blames his ‘embarrassing error’ on his separation from wife)
SCOTLAND’S Transport Minister has been charged by police after driving without insurance.
Humza Yousaf yesterday admitted he had been pulled over by officers on Friday while driving a colleague’s car which he was not insured to drive.
The beleaguered minister claims the error was a ‘genuine mistake’ and has blamed it on a misunderstanding following the break-up of his marriage.
However, he faces a fine of up to £5,000 and six penalty points on his driving licence.
Mr Yousaf and his 27-year-old wife, Gail Lythgoe, separated in the summer and an alteration to their motoring policy meant he was not insured to drive any vehicle other than his own.
The 31-year-old was driving on the A835 near Dingwall, Ross-shire, around 7pm when he was pulled over by police for a routine check. He had been heading to a St Andrew’s Day dinner in Ullapool, Rossshire, and was sharing the lengthy drive with his colleague, who owned the car.
However, it was during the check that police discovered Mr Yousaf’s insurance documents did not cover him to drive the vehicle.
Police Scotland last night confirmed that Mr Yousaf has been charged for driving without insurance and that a report would be sent to the procurator fiscal.
A spokesman added: ‘A 31-year-old man is to be reported for road traffic offences.’
It it understood the minister has no previous points on his licence and that this was the first time he had driven another car following the insurance mix-up.
The Nationalist MSP has faced a difficult few months following the breakdown of his marriage to Essex-born Miss Lythgoe.
The pair married in 2010 after meeting three years earlier at an SNP conference in Perth, where Mr Yousaf was working as an intern for Alex Salmond.
The pair campaigned together during the independence referendum and Miss Lythgoe, who is studying international law in Glasgow, continues to be involved with the party.
They separated only weeks after being pictured smiling together at the opening of parliament in May.
Since then Mr Yousaf has been at the centre of criticism over the poor performance of ScotRail, with its trains facing severe delays, cancellations and overcrowding.
Mr Yousaf claimed the marriage breakdown had led to his insurance problems. He said: ‘I believed I was in possession of fully comprehensive insurance, not just for my own car, and as such I was insured to drive vehicles other than my own.
‘If I had had even the slightest doubt about my insurance I would not have driven the car.
‘On investigation, it appears that following the break-up of my marriage and transfer of ownership of our car I did not complete the process of taking over as the main policyholder, which would have enabled me to drive other vehicles, which my policy had previously enabled me to do.
‘However, I remained insured to drive my own car at all times throughout.
‘I have co-operated fully and will not be contesting the issue. I will accept any penalty imposed and have taken immediate steps to update my insurance cover.
‘This was an honest mistake and an embarrassing one for me. However, it underlines the importance of being properly insured.’
While he has admitted guilt and said he plans to plead guilty at the first opportunity, motoring experts said driving without insurance can lead to serious problems.
A spokesman for the Alliance of British Drivers said: ‘Had he been involved in a serious accident, there would have been serious consequences. It is not the biggest crime of the century but he is Transport Minister.’
An AA spokesman said: ‘For someone like the Transport Minister, he must be mortified.’
He added that the problem was ‘potentially very serious’ if an uninsured driver had struck the car,
‘Potentially very serious’ ‘This was an honest mistake
leaving no one to pay for vehicle damage or injury claims.
The spokesman said: ‘I don’t know if his position will carry any favours with the offence but I hope not.
‘The lesson here is to make sure before you drive someone else’s car that you are covered. ’
Comprehensive insurance usually allows an insured driver to be covered for third party and theft if driving a vehicle which they do not own but have permission to drive.
However, in Mr Yousaf’s case he had not changed his cover to become the main policyholder – which would have allowed him to drive his colleague’s car.