Rishi Sunak has been accused of wasting taxpayers’ money and undermining the government’s climate strategy after chartering a second private jet for a domestic trip within a week. The prime minister took an RAF plane to Scotland for a two-day visit, where he met First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and announced the opening of two new freeports.
The roughly 90-minute flight took Sunak to Inverness for talks with Sturgeon, before he travelled to the nearby Port of Cromarty Firth to mark the announcement of a green freeport. He returned to Downing Street on Friday afternoon. The trip came days after he used another RAF aircraft for a 200-mile journey to Leeds on a 14-seater plane.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said the prime minister had developed “an expensive habit of swanning around on private jets courtesy of the taxpayer”. She demanded he explain why he “saw fit to commandeer a prized plane described as critical to UK security”, adding that the behaviour made “a mockery of his government’s own ‘zero-jet strategy’”.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper also criticised the flight, saying the cost proved how “out of touch” Sunak was. She asked what he had to say to commuters who had no option to take a private jet to work when the government failed to prevent strikes.
Downing Street defended the prime minister’s choice of transport, with a spokesperson saying decisions were based on “the best use of his time and taxpayer-funding”. The spokesperson added that the plane allowed Sunak to hold his meeting with the first minister and pointed to other engagements, saying environmental issues were always considered.
A recent YouGov poll of 4,950 people found 77% believed it was inappropriate for cabinet ministers to use private jets for domestic travel, including 76% of Conservative voters.
