Rishi Sunak Criticised For Taking RAF Jet From London To Blackpool

The prime minister came under fire a week ago for taking a similar plane to Leeds.
|
Open Image Modal
The PM flew from London to Leeds last week
No10 Downing Street

Rishi Sunak has been criticised after taking another RAF jet for a short flight within the UK.

The prime minister is understood to have flown from RAF Northolt in west London to Blackpool, a distance of less than 200 miles, this morning.

It comes just a week after he took a similar jet from Northolt to Leeds for a hospital visit.

The cost to the taxpayer of using the jet is thought to be in the low thousands of pounds.

However, Labour sources say the PM could have got a train from Euston station to Morecambe at 5.30am and arrived in Blackpool at the same time.

A Labour spokesperson said: “Rishi Sunak isn’t even trying to hide these recklessly expensive habits anymore.

“Jetting around the country on taxpayers’ money like an A-list celeb rather than catching a train like the rest of us is simply absurd.”

Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “Rishi Sunak has learnt nothing from the past few weeks as he continues to jet about the country on taxpayers money.

“It is simply ridiculous that he can’t get a train like the rest of the British public do.

“Yet again this prime minister is completely out of touch with the rest of society.”

A source close to the prime minister said they did not comment on his travel arrangements for security reasons.

However, Number 10 posted a picture of Sunak boarding his plane for last week’s journey to Leeds on their Flickr account.

The PM’s official spokesperson said: “The prime minister will use different modes of transport depending on what is the best use of his time to enable him to get around the entire UK.”