Lord Nazir Ahmed, a Pakistani-origin Labour politician, faces expulsion from his party after being jailed for 12 weeks for reckless driving that killed a man.
Ahmed was driving his Jaguar when he hit a stationary car in the outside lane of the highway in December 2007, killing 28-year-old Martyn Gombar.
Ahmed, who admitted driving dangerously, was told by Justice Alan Fraser Wilkie on Wednesday: "It's clear the dangerous driving had no causal link to the accident."
Ahmed sent and received a series of five text messages while driving in the dark at speeds of 97 km per hour or more. But the judge said the texting had no bearing on the fatal collision.
The Mirpur-born politician also faces expulsion from the Labour Party following his jail sentence, the BBC reported.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: "The Labour Party does not comment on individual cases, but under the party's rules any member who receives a custodial sentence is subject to automatic exclusion."
The judge said: "It is of the greatest importance that people realise what a serious offence dangerous driving of this type is.
"I have come to the conclusion that by reason of the prolonged, deliberate, repeated and highly dangerous driving for which you have pleaded guilty, only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified."
{{/usCountry}}"I have come to the conclusion that by reason of the prolonged, deliberate, repeated and highly dangerous driving for which you have pleaded guilty, only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified."
{{/usCountry}}Ahmed will serve half of his sentence in jail and half on licence. He was also banned from driving for a year and ordered to pay 500 pounds prosecution costs.
Ahmed's solicitor said he was launching an immediate appeal against the sentence, but a member of the victim's family expressed dissatisfaction with the jail term, saying: "He could be out in six weeks, that's nothing."