Robert Jenrick, the Reform Party's Treasury spokesman, has pledged to abolish air passenger duty on short-haul flights for adults travelling with children, a policy that would benefit an airline part-owned by a major donor to his political career. Jenrick received £40,000 from Attestor Limited, an asset manager that holds a majority stake in German airline Condor, which recently launched its first UK route from Gatwick to Frankfurt.
The donations, comprising £25,000 in March 2024 and £15,000 in September 2024, were made before Jenrick announced the policy on March 31 at Heathrow Airport. He stated that a Reform government would scrap the so-called 'family holiday tax', saving families an average of £45 on short-haul flights. The policy, which would cost £166 million a year, would be funded by cuts to migrant welfare, mental health benefit claims, and foreign aid.
Labour has raised concerns over a potential conflict of interest, with a spokesperson saying: 'The public will rightly ask – in whose interest is he really acting?' This is not the first time Jenrick has faced scrutiny over donations; as Housing Secretary in 2020, he granted planning permission to a property scheme shortly before the developer donated to the Conservatives.
Condor, which was rescued by Attestor in 2021 after being bailed out by the German government, began flying from Gatwick this month with three daily flights to Frankfurt. The airline now faces air passenger duty, which Jenrick has promised to partially scrap. Reform defended the policy, stating: 'We want every Mirror reader to be able to take their family on holiday that little bit more easily.'
