Rishi Sunak wastes taxpayer cash on helicopter trip that would be £50 on train
Helicopter addict Rishi Sunak today took a flight that would have taken just an hour by train.
The PM used a private chopper to get to Lincolnshire, where he visited a school. The aircraft took off from RAF Northolt in London at 7:55am this morning before it is thought to have taken him to RAF Coningsby. It would have taken just an hour if he had taken the 7:27am train from London Kings Cross to Grantham. A return ticket would have cost as little as £50.
Mr Sunak visited Giles Academy in Old Leake, Lincolnshire. The school is around 30 mins drive from RAF Coningsby or a 60 minute journey by road from Grantham.
During his time in Downing Street so far, Mr Sunak has used private jets and helicopters to zip around the UK more than any other Prime Minister. In his first seven months in office he used RAF aircraft for domestic flights every eight days on average.
Many of the journeys have been incredibly short. Last month he frittered away taxpayer cash by taking a half hour flight from London to Essex. He flew to Clacton-on-Sea, which is less than 60 miles away.
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Mr Sunak has brushed off criticism of his private flights saying they are "the most efficient use of my time". Speaking in July, he said: "Every prime minister before me has also used planes to travel around the United Kingdom because it is an efficient use of time for the person running the country so I can keep focusing on delivering for people.”
Separately, he has accepted more than £85,000 worth of private jet and helicopter travel to Conservative Party events from political donors this year. A No10 spokesman said: “As always, travel plans will vary and are always decided with consideration to the best use of the Prime Ministers time and in interests of the taxpayer.”
Labour has pledged to crack down on the use of private flights by ministers if they get into power. Shadow Paymaster General Jonathan Ashworth said: “While helicopter addict Rishi Sunak tries to desperately reinvent himself, it’s clear that he’s as out of touch as ever. As the Conservatives’ cost of living crisis deepens for working families, Sunak is soaring through the clouds at the expense of taxpayers. It’s a kick in the teeth. Labour will call time on the Tories’ ridiculous binge on public money and give Britain its future back.”
The PM and his wife are the richest inhabitants of Downing Street in history with an estimated £520milllion fortune, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. Much of their wealth is thanks to the £481million stake Ms Murty holds in Infosys
The couple’s property empire includes a £1.5million manor house in his North Yorkshire constituency. They have built a new private heated swimming pool in the grounds, which uses so much energy that the local electricity network had to be upgraded to meet its power demands. They also own a £7million London home in Kensington and a £5.5 million penthouse overlooking the beach in Santa Monica, California.
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