A court obliged MP Paul Bristow by banning him from driving for 28 days after he had said that “only by asking to be disqualified can I look constituents in the eye”.

He had added that “I need to be able to campaign about speeding on residential streets without any suggestion of hypocrisy”.

Bristow, elected in 2019, was caught doing 76mph on a 50mph stretch of the A1 at Buckden on November 12.

The 42-year-old MP did not turn up to Peterborough magistrates court today to learn his fate. He entered a plea through his lawyer.

Bristow already had six points on his licence from previous speeding offences in April 2019 and August 2020.

But the bench imposed a discretionary disqualification.

Solicitor Nick Diable, mitigating, said: “There’s not a huge amount to say about this.

“The facts are that Mr Bristow had been to see his mother. He was returning back to work. I think that part is dual carriageway.

“It was fairly light traffic. This might have been during one of the partial lockdowns.

“He regrets his actions and is sorry.

“He wishes he had paid a little more attention to his speed.”

Mr Diable said he would not be putting forward an exceptional hardship reason for his client not to be disqualified but instead asked for an immediate ban.

Bristow, of Memorial Way, Peterborough, was also fined £667 and ordered to pay £110 costs and £68 victim surcharge.

Bench chairman David Wilkinson said the maximum fine for the offence was £1,000 and one-third credit had been given for Bristow’s guilty plea.

Bristow, in his regular column for the Peterborough Telegraph, had written: “What is it with MPs for Peterborough and speeding? This is embarrassing.”

He added: “Fiona Onasanya ruined her political and legal career, and ending up behind bars.

“Perhaps the worst that will happen to me is a temporary disqualification from driving.

“I’m sure I’ll get some stick, in various shades of good and bad humour.”

Bristow is well known in Fenland, having grown up in Whittlesey and the town where his father Alan won a seat on the district council in 2019. Unfortunately, Alan died the following year.