UK leader in doghouse after letting pet roam free in park

LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his family were spoken to by a police officer after letting their dog off the leash in London’s Hyde Park, police said Tuesday.

It comes after a video was shared on TikTok appearing to show the prime minister and his family allowing their Labrador, Nova, to roam freely in an area where rules say dogs must be kept on a leash.

It was unclear when the video was filmed.

“We are aware of a video showing a dog being walked off the lead in Hyde Park,” the Metropolitan Police force said in a statement. “An officer, who was present at the time, spoke to a woman and reminded her of the rules. The dog was put back on the lead.”

Police said they would take no further action.

Sunak has had two minor brushes with the law during his political career. In January, he was fined by police for taking off his seat belt to film a social media video in a moving car.

Last year, when he was Treasury chief, he was fined 50 pounds for breaching pandemic lockdown rules by briefly attending a party inside government offices. He was one of dozens of officials fined over the “partygate” scandal, including then Prime Minister Boris Johnson.