Rishi Sunak has been accused of undermining the government’s green credentials and wasting taxpayers’ money after it emerged he travelled from London to Leeds on a 14-seat RAF jet. Sunak used the jet to travel 200 miles to the Rutland Lodge medical practice on Monday, which he visited alongside the social care minister, Helen Whately. The trip was organised to publicise the government’s announcement of £200m to buy thousands of extra care home beds. The trip, which would have taken two-and-a-half hours by train, came even as the government pursues a policy of achieving net zero emissions by the UK domestic aviation sector. Downing Street defended Sunak’s choice of transport, saying: “The transport the prime minister takes will vary and will always be done in the interest of what is the most effective use of his time, enabling him to get around the entirety of the UK when there is a great deal of pressure on his time.” Labour, however, accused the prime minister of a “show of extravagance”. Angela Rayner, the party’s deputy leader, said: “Patients and staff are crying out for action from this government in the midst of a crisis in our NHS while the prime minister jets from London to Leeds for a photo op. “The prime minister must come clean about how much taxpayers’ money was wasted on this 36-minute plane journey for a three-hour visit at the height of a cost of living crisis.” Sunak’s decision to travel by RAF jet emerged after Downing Street published a photograph of him boarding the aircraft on its Flickr page. He has been criticised before for flying short distances around the UK. Earlier this year, he personally paid more than £10,000 to fly by private helicopter from Battersea in London to a Tory dinner in Wales. The government did not say how much the flight cost, but SNP and Green MPs accused the prime minister of needlessly damaging the environment. Green MP Caroline Lucas said: “It is utterly indefensible for Tory ministers to make such short journeys by jet when far cheaper and much less damaging options are readily available.” SNP MP Tommy Sheppard tweeted that Sunak’s use of a jet made “a mockery of his climate pledges”.
Ministers have passed a law requiring the government to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. As part of that, ministers last year announced a “jet zero” policy to bring down emissions in the aviation sector. The aviation sector accounts for an estimated 7% of the UK’s total carbon emissions, and government statistics show that travelling from London to Glasgow by plane is more than five times more carbon intensive than travelling by train.