Harriet Harman is facing police questions over allegations that she was involved in a car accident while speaking on her mobile phone.

The deputy Labour leader is also alleged to have driven away from the scene of the accident in Dulwich, southeast London, on July 3 without handing over her insurance or car registration details. Police are investigating whether she was driving without due care and attention.

Witnesses told a newspaper that the MP for Camberwell and Peckham stopped briefly after the crash, but did not follow the procedure laid down in law to leave details. It was claimed that she said: “I’m Harriet Harman — you know where you can get hold of me.”

A police source told The Mail on Sunday that Ms Harman’s car collided with a vehicle parked on the side of the road, causing a loud crash that was heard by several bystanders. She stopped her car, understood to be a red Ford Fiesta, in the road — the point that witnesses allege she ended her phone conversation.

The accident happened near the border of Ms Harman’s South London constituency on the same day that she was visiting the scene of a tower-block fire in Camberwell in which six people were killed.

Ms Harman’s spokeswoman denied yesterday that the Leader of the Commons had done anything wrong, but refused to be drawn into the details. Downing Street refused to say whether or not her job was at risk.

Ministers convicted of traffic offences have previously had to give up their ministerial careers. Patrick Nicholls resigned in 1990 when he was caught drink-driving during the Conservative Party conference. He was fined £250 and banned for a year.

It is illegal to drive in Britain while talking on a handheld mobile phone. The offence carries an automatic three-point penalty and fixed £60 fine.

Under the 1988 Road Traffic Act, any driver involved in a collision with another vehicle must leave contact details, as well as their vehicle’s registration number. Any driver unable to leave contact details must report the accident to police within seven days.

Careless driving is punishable by a fine of up to £2,500 and between three and nine penalty points. Ms Harman’s alleged offence, of driving away without leaving her insurance details, carries a possible six-month jail term.

Scotland Yard sources said yesterday that she would receive no special treatment. She had been due to see police last week, but this was delayed by the Labour Party conference.

Ms Harman was fined £400 and banned from driving for a week in 2003 after she was convicted of driving at 99mph on a motorway. Two years ago she was issued with a £60 fixed penalty notice for driving at 50mph in a 40mph zone on the A14 in Suffolk.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “We are investigating a minor traffic collision in Dulwich on July 3 and are in the process of taking statements from all parties concerned.”

A report is understood to have been sent to the London Traffic Unit’s division in Sidcup, which is responsible for processing motoring offences.

A spokeswoman for Ms Harman said: “[She] strongly refutes the allegations but is co-operating fully with the police.”

Times Recommends

• Oh no, Mr Darling: you have failed
• BBC survives dogfight over Kennel Club expose
• Where the Rosetta belongs can’t be set in stone