Kemi Badenoch suggested British drivers should not be getting points on their licence if they break 20mph limits. She said speeding fines should be about safety, not about making money. Badenoch argued that police efforts should be allocated elsewhere instead of focusing on drivers breaching the speed limit by a small margin. She emphasized that points should be for dangerous driving, not minor speeding, to bring balance to enforcement.
Badenoch cited an anecdote about a taxi driver who drove 21mph three times in a 20mph zone and lost his licence. According to Badenoch, she had heard of this case and commented that it affected his livelihood, questioning its fairness.
According to major media reports, nearly half a million speeding fines issued in 2024 by police forces in Britain were on roads with 20mph speed limits. Just over one sixth of Britain's roads, or 39,000 miles out of 246,500 miles, are subject to a 20mph speed limit.
More than half of London's roads have 20mph speed limits, according to major media reports. Since becoming London mayor, Sadiq Khan introduced more than 150 miles of new 20mph speed limit restrictions.
Badenoch's comments have not been accompanied by clear policy proposals, leaving it unclear what specific changes, if any, she is advocating regarding 20mph speed limit enforcement. It is also unknown how many drivers have lost their licences specifically for minor 20mph zone speeding violations. Additionally, there has been no official police or government response to Badenoch's comments on 20mph enforcement priorities.