‘Headphone dodgers’ may not be able to afford £1,000 fines, says Badenoch
The Liberal Democrats have proposed steep fines for people playing music out loud from their phones on public transport.
People who play music out loud on public transport are unlikely to be able to afford £1,000 fines, Kemi Badenoch has said.
The Liberal Democrats have called for tougher antisocial behaviour laws that would see “headphone dodgers” face penalties of up to £1,000, with the Government suggesting it could be open to the proposal.
But speaking to reporters on Thursday, the Conservative leader suggested “people who do those things” would not be able to afford the fine.
Having initially said she was unaware of the Lib Dems’ proposal, she said: “I’m not somebody that looks at the Lib Dems for policy ideas. I think that they have a lot of silly people there who don’t necessarily understand how things work.”
She added: “What I would say, though, is that nuisance is a problem. It is very, very irritating having people playing loud music and just being antisocial for all of the other passengers on public transport and more should be done around that.
“I don’t know whether many of the people who do those things could even afford to pay £1,000 fines, I’m not sure whether it would work, we would have to look a little bit more at that, but I’m very, very much against antisocial behaviour and I think that that’s something that we could be looking more at.”
A Lib Dem source described her response as “yet another clanger from bungling Badenoch”.
They said: “Even her own Conservative frontbenchers have backed these Lib Dem proposals as a ‘common-sense reform’. It’s time for Badenoch to face the music and admit a crackdown on headphone dodgers is well overdue.”
The Lib Dem proposal would involve amending the Bus Services Bill currently making its way through the House of Lords to outlaw playing music and videos out loud from a phone on public transport in England.
Lisa Smart, the party’s home affairs spokeswoman, said it was “time to take a stand for the quiet majority who just want to get from A to B in peace”.
A YouGov poll published on Thursday suggested 62% of people would back the move, with 28% saying they would oppose the Lib Dems’ proposed fines.
The poll, which surveyed 6,815 British adults, found almost three-quarters of pensioners would support the fines, while those aged between 18 and 24 were split 47-43 in favour.
A Home Office source said officials had been tasked to work “at pace” to determine how fines can best be used to tackle antisocial behaviour.
The initial Conservative response to the proposal also appeared positive, with shadow transport secretary Gareth Bacon saying: “Everyone deserves to travel in peace.
“Playing loud music on public transport may seem like a small thing, but it speaks towards a growing tolerance of antisocial behaviour that chips away at public civility.”
He added: “Common-sense reforms like this are something the Conservative Party can support, but any new bylaws must be backed by stepping up enforcement – something the Liberal Democrats’ plan fails to deliver.”
