UK prime minister Rishi Sunak flew by taxpayer funded Royal Air Force jet to a political festival in Rome, it was reported. The jet had been flown empty from London to Teeside while the PM travelled there by train to campaign, the Downing Street said. There, Rishi Sunak visited the village of Yarm in Stockton South as well. But then he diverted a jet which flew to Durham to pick up Rishi Sunak for his flight to Rome.
Rules bans the UK PM from diverting government planes for journeys “to or from party business or constituency visits" but exceptions can only be made when the time factor is “critical”. The only additional cost is “the extra flying time needed to carry out the additional landing and take-off.”
This comes as Rishi Sunak has faced mounting criticism over his use of costly private air travel. When the UK PM has previously travelled to political events by air, he has used private jets or helicopters that are either paid for or provided by his party's donors, The Mirror reported.
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Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds said, "We know all about the Prime Minister's addiction to private air travel, but in the past, he has usually been careful not to ask the taxpayer to foot the bill when he is using his fleet of private jets and luxury helicopters to travel to political events.
{{/usCountry}}Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds said, "We know all about the Prime Minister's addiction to private air travel, but in the past, he has usually been careful not to ask the taxpayer to foot the bill when he is using his fleet of private jets and luxury helicopters to travel to political events.
{{/usCountry}}“That makes it all the more surprising and inexplicable on this occasion that he should send an empty taxpayer-funded RAF jet to wait while he went campaigning in a marginal seat one day, and then fly him to a far-right political festival in Rome the next," she said, adding, “Has he forgotten the rules in his own ministerial code, or is he just not bothered any more about what the British people think, or how much he is asking them to pay?"