Government Hides Details Of Sunak's Private Jet Use

The government has blocked the release of information detailing the prime minister’s taxpayer-funded private jet trips around the UK.

- MATT MATHERS

Labour accused Rishi Sunak of presiding over a “culture of concealment” after Downing Street refused a request by The Independent to detail how many flights were taken, how much they cost or how much CO2 they admitted into the atmosphere.

Mr Sunak has used an RAF plane for domestic visits on at least three occasions since entering office in September last year for journeys that would have taken hours by train.

“Rishi Sunak’s culture of concealment is reaching ridiculous levels,” Emily Thornberry, Labour’s shadow attorney general, told The Independent.

“The Cabinet Office has an explicit target to reduce its number of domestic flights, so how on earth can it be unreasonable to ask the prime minister what contribution he is making towards that goal?”

She added: “If he truly believes the only way he can travel around Britain is by helicopter and private jet, he should just be honest and open about that instead of trying to hide behind this pathetic silence.”

The Cabinet Office previously said it has been the practice of successive governments not to publish “granular” information about the flight details of protected individuals, suggesting that its decision not to release the information was based on security concerns.