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Slow down, Minister... Harriet Harman caught speeding for second time
By SIMON WALTERS

Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman is facing fresh embarrassment after being caught speeding - for the second time.

Ms Harman last night said she had "pleaded guilty by post" to avoid a court appearance next week.

The offence comes after she was banned from driving for seven days and fined £400 in February 2003 for speeding at 99mph on a motorway.

On that occasion Ms Harman also pleaded guilty by post and her lawyer told North West Wiltshire magistrates in Chippenham: "She is, of course, extremely sorry for exceeding the limit on this occasion and does not seek to make any excuse."

After the fine was imposed the AA described it as "lenient" considering her then £125,000 annual salary.

The latest speeding offence will be especially uncomfortable for lawyer Ms Harman, 57, who, until she succeeded John Prescott as deputy leader in June, was Solicitor-General, one of the Government's top law officers.

Details of the offence, including where the incident took place and how fast Ms Harman was driving, are not known.

The Mail on Sunday understands that the case is to be dealt with by a court in Ipswich on September 18.

It is expected that Ms Harman will apologise to Gordon Brown but Labour sources say there is no question of her losing her job.

It is thought Ms Harman may have been caught speeding during the three months she spent touring the country in the spring garnering support for her bid to become Mr Brown's deputy.

She narrowly defeated Cabinet rival Alan Johnson.

However, she was immediately snubbed when Mr Brown refused to give her Mr Prescott's title of Deputy Prime Minister.

It was seen as a sign of lack of confidence in Ms Harman, dubbed "Hopeless Hattie" by Labour enemies who question her judgment.

Mr Brown is not the first Labour leader to find himself embarrassed by Ms Harman.

In 1996, just before Tony Blair became Prime Minister, Ms Harman caused a major furore when it was revealed she had sent one of her sons to a grammar school, in defiance of Labour policy.

Mr Blair rejected Labour demands to sack her.

Ms Harman was involved in another legal row in 2005 when her sister Sarah, a prominent family lawyer, was ordered to pay costs of £25,000 and forced to step down as a judge after being found guilty of passing secret documents to her sister.

At the time Ms Harman was Solicitor General. Her sister was found guilty of contempt for "conduct unbefitting a solicitor".

"I don't believe that I was causing the slightest danger," said Mrs Harman. "There is far too much speeding enforcement these days and yet deaths and serious injuries are not falling. I am just the latest in a long, long line of people to have been hauled into court for driving perfectly safely. This is the catalyst I need to end the current madness and return to the days of intelligent roads policing."

Harman pleads guilty to speeding

Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman has pleaded guilty to committing a speeding offence in Suffolk.

Harman, leader of the house of commons, was due to appear before Ipswich magistrates, but avoided attending court by pleading guilty by post.

The CPS withdrew the summons, after the 57-year-old admitted exceeding a temporary speed limit on 7 April.

After the case, a Labour Party spokesman said "Harriet pleaded guilty by post" but would say no more.

It is the second time the former Solicitor-General has been caught speeding, following an incident in February 2003 when she was caught doing 99mph in a 70mph zone on the M4 in Wiltshire.

Police have rejected claims Harriet Harman, Labour's deputy leader, had been given special treatment after she had a speeding summons withdrawn at the last minute.

Although most motorists are allowed only 28 days to pay a £60 fixed penalty fine, Ms Harman was allowed to pay hers more than five months after the offence to avoid her case being heard in open court.

On this occasion, she was issued with a fixed penalty notice after being caught on camera doing 50mph in a temporary 40mph zone through roadworks on the A14 near Ipswich in early April.

She forgot to pay the fine within the allotted time and was due to have her case heard yesterday afternoon by Ipswich magistrates.

However, the Crown Prosecution Service withdrew the summons in the morning and the court was later told that the matter had been settled.

The policy of the Suffolk Safety Camera Partnership - a body representing the police, CPS and magistrates - is that the option of paying a fixed penalty is conditional and only open to motorists for 28 days after a notice is issued. If not, the partnership says that a court summons is "automatic".

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