Jeremy Vine responded to former MP Kate Hoey calling him “nasty” for reporting a law-breaking taxi driver, sharing the footage of the mobile phone use which landed the cabbie “six points and £500 fine”.
Earlier this week, former Labour MP Hoey, who is now a life peer in the House of Lords, posted a rant about Vine on Twitter, claiming she had heard from a taxi driver who the presenter caught using a mobile phone as he cycled past.
Hoey called Vine “nasty” for reporting the footage to the police, the driver subsequently getting “six points and a £500 fine”, according to the politician who also suggested “Vine should start reporting cyclists rushing through red lights if he wants to play tell-tale”.
We contacted Vine on Wednesday who confirmed to us he remembered the incident with the cabbie, the broadcaster then covering the case and Hoey’s reaction on his Jeremy Vine on 5 morning TV show yesterday.
During the segment, Vine played the footage of the incident to his viewers, the clip showing him filter past stationary traffic before spotting the cab driver on his phone.
“For once, Jeremy, you did the right thing here.”
The panel react to footage of Jeremy’s run-in with a taxi driver using his phone at the wheel, which attracted the ire of Baroness Kate Hoey.@PCBarnes123 | @AnjuSolankiMEA | @theJeremyVine | #JeremyVine pic.twitter.com/HvCFd7B9AQ
— Jeremy Vine & Daytime on 5 (@JeremyVineOn5) March 6, 2026
“You’re not on your phone, are you?” Vine can be heard asking the professional driver who has both hands on his mobile device.
“No, I’m not, I’m just looking at something,” the driver replied while dropping the device.
As Vine continues his journey the taxi driver was heard making the parting remark: “Go away, Jeremy. Find something worth doing instead of being a ****.”
Former MP Hoey had apparently spoken with the driver involved, launching a social media rant earlier this week during which she claimed Vine reporting the footage was “a nasty thing to do” and suggested “Vine should start reporting cyclists rushing through red lights if he wants to play tell-tale”.
Reacting to the tweet on his morning TV show, Vine joked: “She’s obviously got very angry during this because she stopped being able to use full stops.
“If you call me a very rude word that begins with a letter at the start of the alphabet, it’s not going to make it less likely that I report you for using your phone. And he was properly using it, even though he said he wasn’t.”
15 thoughts on “Jeremy Vine shares footage of phone-using taxi driver fined £500, after former MP branded presenter “nasty” for reporting law-breaking motorists”
Hoey’s comment heavily implies that it’s OK for drivers to use their phone at a red light, or whenever else they determine, at their sole discretion, that it is safe to do so. Why did she not advance this position in her role as a law maker?
As to her suggestion that such drivers will disengage from their phone the moment the situation changes – laughable!
To black cab drivers, and this one may not be one for much longer, why risk those years of doing the Knowledge and the massive investment in the vehicle for a few seconds of feeding that addiction. It just ain’t worth it.
He knew he was in the wrong, that’s why he hot potatoed it, and Kate, they don’t stop when they start moving, they are just easier to catch in their criminality while stationary. I think your naivety is showing there. This man had two licences, and the law breaking was still happening.
She’s not naive, she’s anti-cyclist, years ago she was quoted as saying she beeps her horn at cyclists not using cycle lanes
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2006/jun/04/features.magazine6
there haven’t been many improvements in UK politics over the years but Kate Hoey no longer being a Labour MP is one
Calling somebody a C..t is a “nasty thing to do”. No public order offence???
Said calmly as part of a sentence without any accompanying aggressive movement, hard to prove that fits the “likely to cause alarm, harassment or distress” criteria for a PO offence. Swearing, though it may be nasty, is not an offence per se.
“the heroic cyclist protecting the virtue of other cyclists”
Have you been sitting in traffic all day huffing exhaust fumes?
I’m all for reporting drivers breaking the law, but was the interaction with the driver necessary to reporting the driver? He could have filmed, got the evidence and ridden off without a word and reported it as planned. But this ego trip people do to prove they are right and the other person is wrong is just unnecessary and click baiting for views on social media to show the big bad driver Vs you the heroic cyclist protecting the virtue of other cyclists. Same for CyclingMikey, could do most of his videos with zero interaction with the driver and report it to the police, but it wouldn’t get as many views or go viral. He needs the heated exchanges to make his videos appealing to watch.
I’m all for some sort of personalized identification for cyclists to have to show and be visible for other road users like cars have number plates, so they can be held responsible and accountable for their actions as road users like drivers are.
Because they stop their phone use, rather than continue it.
It puts a stop to the dangerous lawbreaking there and then, not just in two weeks time or when the NIP drops. Or the many months later when the wheels of justice finally conclude.
Because they stop their phone use, rather than continue it. It puts a stop to the dangerous lawbreaking there and then, not just in two weeks time or when the NIP drops
Not in Lancashire they don’t! Because they don’t have to, as the police will do almost anything to disregard the offence.
Classic distracted driver who charged straight at me when I was on the roundabout outside Garstang Police Station- I am virtually certain from the extracted stills that she has a small mobile in her right hand, possibly a folder. This is definitely enough evidence to justify obtaining phone records and I have stated the exact time she was right in front of me and staring straight ahead. Reported to OpSnap Lancs 8 days ago – the statutory No Response. Also reported to Garstang Neighbourhood Policing Team, whose office is in Garstang Police Station. No response so far- they’re likely to say they were too busy to look.
If I see a driver on their phone and I get the chance I’ll tell them I’ve seen them, even if I haven’t got the camera with me. I’m not prepared to take the risk that they’ll stay on the phone and cause an incident for which I would be partly responsible for not telling them to stop. Mobile phone use when driving has been proven to be as dangerous as driving over the alcohol limit, if you saw someone you knew to be over the limit about to get into a car and drive would you stop them or would you just quietly report it to the police and take the chance that they would get home without killing anyone?
By the way, if you’re going to try trolling with any credibility, try to avoid total non sequiturs as at the end of the post; your call for cyclist registration has nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of your post or the article and so rather blows your cover.
Never have a camera me, but I’ll aim the helmet light at their number plate an shout out their number plate anyway.
It doesn’t need to be necessary, just like your post.
Presumably Hoey has some form of CCTV on her property…
Would she not provide police any evidence of criminal activity recorded by the cameras to try to keep her own property and area safe or is THAT being “nasty”…?
Ah – but that’s not “snitching”! Remember – unless a driver hits you you’re only a “witness”.
Obviously that’s why nobody apart from the victims has anything to say in the case of grooming. Nor do politicians have anything to say about “illegal foreign types, coming over here…”
Oh, wait…
Kate Hoey would not report her neighbour’s house being burgled to the police. Do do so would be “nasty”.