Zac Goldsmith: Peer and ex-London mayor hopeful handed interim driving ban

A former London mayoral hopeful has been temporarily banned from driving after he was caught speeding four times in London last year.

Zac Goldsmith, 48, cannot drive until mid-March when he will be sentenced for exceeding speed limits on roads in Paddington, Chelsea and Twickenham.

The Conservative peer admitted the four charges, between April and August 2023.

The former environment minister also faces three other driving offences, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard.

On 27 April, Lord Goldsmith was caught travelling along Chelsea Embankment at 29mph, despite the limit being 20mph, according to court papers.

Just over a month later, on 31 May, he drove at 46mph on the A316 in Twickenham, which has a 40mph limit.

He was caught speeding on that same road on 3 August, while driving at 47mph.

A month before the August incident, on 18 July, Lord Goldsmith exceeded the 20mph limit on Bayswater Road, next to Kensington Gardens, while travelling at 28mph.

District Judge Nina Tempia imposed an interim disqualification, banning him from driving until his sentencing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 18 March.

Lord Goldsmith, who unsuccessfully ran to be London Mayor in 2016 before serving as a minister in Boris Johnson's cabinet, did not attend the hearing.

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