A Kent MP who stood to replace Boris Johnson as Prime Minister has pleaded guilty to using a mobile phone at the wheel.

Tom Tugendhat, who represents Tonbridge and Malling, must now wait to find out whether he is to be banned from driving.

The 49-year-old security minister admitted the offence in a letter to Bromley Magistrates Court.

The Conservative was stopped by police driving his Skoda 4×4 in Wandsworth on April 4.

Mr Tugendhat told the court: “I was holding my phone – not using it.

“After the incident I took a course to refresh and correct my driving.

“I accept my responsibility and recognise my culpability.”

He will be sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 17.

Using a mobile phone while driving normally attracts six penalty point on your driving licence.

But the MP already has six points, so a further six would take him to the maximum of 12 that would normally mean disqualification.

A ban can be avoided if the defendant can show “exceptional hardship” would be caused by the loss of his or her licence.

Mr Tugendhat, who lives in Clapham, south-west London, told the officer who stopped him, PC Joseph Robson, that he had been using the phone's maps function.

A spokesman for the MP said: "Tom apologises unreservedly and will accept the outcome of the case.”