Rishi Sunak has been accused of a “breathtaking lack of self-awareness” after posting a picture of himself on board his private jet days after axing the HS2 line to Manchester.
The prime minister is shown working on board his plane in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
He said he had taken “long-term decisions” to, among other things, “boost our transport”.
In his speech to last week’s Tory conference, Sunak announced that he was scrapping the HS2 line between Birmingham and Manchester and using the £36 billion saved to boost transport links around the country.
The decision has been widely criticised, including by former Tory prime ministers David Cameron and Boris Johnson.
Reacting to his private plane post, shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “A perfect image to accompany the announcement you’re scrapping High Speed rail, flying home on your private jet.
“A breathtaking lack of self-awareness. And utter contempt for the millions who never voted for you or this.”
Other users of the social media platform also criticised the PM’s choice of picture.
HuffPost UK revealed last month that Sunak was switching to the same private plane used by Manchester City.
The PM swapped his Airbus 321 for a slightly older model operated by private jet specialists Titan Airways.
The new plane, flying under the call sign G-POWT, will also be used by members of the Royal Family.
It was most recently used last month to fly Man City’s stars to Greece to play in the Uefa Super Cup Final, where they beat Sevilla on penalties.