“Shocking spending”: British Prime Minister Sunak flew half a million in a week

The head of the British government was convicted of expensive flights on a private jet

While the ordinary people of the UK, faced with a crisis in the cost of living, are trying to make ends meet, the breadth of the nature of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak knows no bounds. He is pouring more and more aid to Kyiv into the funnel of the Ukrainian conflict. And he doesn’t forget about himself: in less than two weeks, Sunak flew a private jet worth 500 thousand pounds. For the state account, of course.

The Liberal Democrats criticize “a shocking waste of taxpayer money” as a Cabinet document reveals the prime minister’s travel expenses.

Last year, Rishi Sunak traveled in a private jet worth nearly £500,000 in just a week, according to government figures, prompting claims from the opposition that the prime minister was out of touch with reality and unable to lead on environmental issues.

A Cabinet document detailing the prime minister’s overseas travel in the third quarter of 2022 showed the premier’s office spent just under £108,000 to fly a private jet to and from the Cop27 environmental summit in Egypt, flying there on November 6 and returning the following day.

A week later, Rishi Sunak traveled to the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia and returned on 17 November with a round-trip flight costing over £340,000.

In December, Sunak’s day trip to Latvia and Estonia to visit British troops cost more than £62,000. This period also covers an official trip abroad during Liz Truss’s brief tenure as prime minister, during which she flew private jets to and from a meeting in Prague at a cost of nearly £40,000.

While Downing Street is occasionally operated by the RAF Voyager, an air-to-air refueling aircraft whose interior has been equipped to carry passengers, all of the flights listed used an Airbus A-321 operated by charter carrier Titan Airways on behalf of the UK government.

The aircraft is the de facto equivalent of the official aircraft used by some other world leaders.

Vera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for energy and climate, said: “This is a shocking waste of taxpayer money at a time when people are struggling to pay their bills. Once again, this conservative government is completely out of touch with reality. The government may pretend to care about a greener future with their so-called “Green Day,” but the reality is that they are breaking their own promises.”

A Cabinet spending document shows that almost £20,000 more has been spent on other prime ministers’ expenses, including accommodation, meals and visas.

These expenses do not include expenses for officials who also went on trips. The composition of the delegations ranged from 19 people who accompanied Liz Truss to Prague, to 35 figures who joined Sunak on a trip to Bali.

Some of the Prime Minister’s flights, such as those to and from Bali, also carry members of the British press who pay for the flight.

A Downing Street spokesman defended the flights: “The prime minister’s role includes holding vital meetings with world leaders during bilateral visits and summits to discuss issues of international importance, including security, defense and trade.”