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.
Denne historien er fra July 17, 2023-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 17, 2023-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Carse justifies England faith as the archetypal bold pick
If you won a boxing match after your opponent continually punched themselves in the face, how much credit can you take?
Tenacious Diallo the key to Amorim pressing machine
Old Trafford has not seen anything like this before.
Gold King Cole packs the Bridge with merry old souls
In the 83rd minute, the ball rolled to the feet of Cole Palmer in a bubble of space outside Aston Villa's box, and the crowd snapped to attention.
Vibrant Anfield marks the changing of the Guardiola
There was a lull in the noise, a break in the Anfield atmosphere, when a defiant chant emerged from a corner near Stefan Ortega’s goal.
What is so daunting about Spain's new data checks?
Q You have written about the new “red tape” for visitors to Spain. So, as well as your usual passport details you will give a contact number, address and email. Not exactly the Spanish Inquisition, is it?
Sectarian clashes claim at least 130 lives in Pakistan
At least 130 people were killed in deadly sectarian clashes in Pakistan's northwestern Kurram district in spite of a tentative ceasefire, days after gunmen opened fire on a convoy of vehicles carrying Shia Muslims, local officials said.
Coalition government likely in Ireland as count proceeds
Fianna Fail say decisions on power-sharing for another day’
How Syria's forgotten war is back on the world's agenda
Many believed the country was lost in an unsolvable conflict, until everything changed in a matter of days, writes Bel Trew
Assad regime scrambles to halt Syrian rebels’ advance
Civilians reportedly killed by Russian and Syrian airstrikes
Mother of poisoning victim says she knew she would die
Lawyer Simone White succumbed to the effects of methanol while backpacking in Laos with two of her childhood friends
