Andy Burnham fined nearly £2,000 for speeding

Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester Mayor, has been ordered by a court to pay nearly £2,000 for speeding.

The Labour Mayor was ordered by a court to pay fines, charges and costs for the offence and hit with six points on his licence. He was caught doing 78mph on a section of motorway where the limit was reduced to 40.

Mr Burnham told the Manchester Evening News he became distracted when he realised the junction at which he usually exits the M62 had been closed and did not know a smart motorway had cut the speed limit to 40mph.

He said: “On the night in question, I was travelling home on the M62 westbound in normal motorway conditions, intending to come off at junction 10 for the M6.

“When I got close to the junction, it became clear that it had recently been closed and I had to re-route quickly back onto the main motorway. I was not aware of any variable speed limit in place on the smart motorway system at the time, and only found out about it when the letter arrived in the post.

“If I had been aware, I would not have been travelling at that speed. That said, I acknowledge that, at 78mph, I was going too fast and accept the court’s decision.”

According to court records, Mr Burnham’s case was dealt with at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court on March 14.

He was fined £1,353 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £541. He was also told to pay £90 court costs, leaving him with a total bill of £1,984.

A former Labour Cabinet minister, Mr Burnham was elected Mayor of Greater Manchester in May 2017 and re-elected in May 2021.

He unsuccessfully ran for the Labour leadership on two occasions, and has been touted as a potential leadership rival to Sir Keir Starmer.

The Telegraph approached Mr Burnham for comment.