A£40m VIP helicopter contract used extensively by the former prime minister Rishi Sunak is to be cancelled as his successor, Keir Starmer, promises to undo “14 years of rot” under the Conservatives.
Due to expire
Starmer and his defence secretary, John Healey, have decided not to renew a contract for helicopter transport which is due to expire at the end of the year after it was extended in 2023 at Sunak’s personal insistence.
The former PM used governmentfunded helicopters on several occasions while in office, even when train travel would have been almost as quick, using them to travel to events in Southampton, Dover, the West Midlands and Essex. Healey’s decision not to renew the five-year contract, which had already been put out to tender, is designed to be emblematic of Labour’s break with the previous 14 years of Conservative government.
Expensive flight
When he was the Prime Minister Sunak faced sustained criticism over his fondness for taking flights and helicopters for short trips rather than cheaper, less polluting transport. It was reported that Sunak took an expensive helicopter flight from London to Southampton for a journey that would have taken 75 minutes each way and cost £30 return on public transport.
