Reform UK's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick has pledged to scrap air passenger duty on short-haul flights for families, after receiving £40,000 in donations from a firm that owns a majority stake in German airline Condor.
The policy, announced at Heathrow Airport on March 31, would abolish the so-called 'family holiday tax' for adults travelling with children on short-haul economy flights. Jenrick claimed it would save a family £45 on international trips or £48 on domestic flights, costing £166 million a year funded by cuts to 'migrant welfare', mental health benefit claims and foreign aid.
However, records show Jenrick received £15,000 from Attestor Limited in September and £25,000 in March last year. Attestor acquired a 51% stake in Condor in 2021, and the airline began its first UK route from Gatwick to Frankfurt this month, making it liable for the duty Jenrick now proposes to partially scrap.
Labour said: 'The public will rightly ask – in whose interest is he really acting?' A Reform spokesperson responded: 'We want every Mirror reader to be able to take their family on holiday that little bit more easily.'
This is not the first time Jenrick has faced conflict of interest allegations. As Housing Secretary in 2020, he granted planning permission to a property developer shortly before it donated to the Conservatives.
