Nandy backs Rachel Reeves' business class flight: 'I don't care where she sits'

23 May 2023 , 09:45

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Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves is in New York to drum up support for Labour's economic plans (Image: Getty Images)

Labour frontbencher Lisa Nandy has defended Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves for taking a business class flight to the US, saying: "I don't care where she was sitting on the plane".

Ms Reeves tweeted a picture of her plane ticket as she flew out to New York to drum up support for Labour's economic plans.

But eagle eyed observers spotted she was in seat 3K, which is at the front of business class on the Boeing 777-200 plane.

The Shadow Chancellor later deleted the tweet but Tory critics immediately accused Labour of hypocrisy, after the party criticised Rishi Sunak for gallivanting around the country on private planes.

It is understood the flight was paid for by a Labour donor.

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But Ms Nandy, the Shadow Levelling Up Secretary, hit back at the claims and said Mr Sunak jetting around in helicopters was frustrating for Brits because the trains are a "disaster".

Rachel Reeves tweeted a picture of herself on the flight to New York

A picture of her British Airways ticket

She told Sky News: "I don't really care where she was sitting on the plane, what I care about is when we inherit the worst economic situation since the Second World War, whether we can attract the investment to get good jobs back into constituencies like mine."

Presenter Kay Burley challenged her on how Labour could complain about Mr Sunak taking luxury flights when her party's senior MPs were also travelling in style.

But Ms Nandy hit back, saying: "The reason people like me got pretty annoyed with Rishi Sunak for flying to the north of England is because I'm fairly clear that he did that because the trains are in such a state of chaos.

"For those of us who try to travel, not just on those national lines but particularly the regional lines which have been a disaster - not just for the last few months but for years and years - it's annoying when you have a PM that's flying around in private jets because he's not fixed the problems the rest of us have to deal with."

A Labour spokesperson said: "Rachel Reeves is visiting the US to promote Labour's economic plans for the future, strengthen our relationships and rebuild confidence in the UK after the Conservatives' catastrophic economic crash last autumn.

"All donations relating to the funding of this visit will be declared in the Register of Members' Financial Interests in the usual manner."

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Lizzy Buchan