Rishi Sunak took a taxpayer-funded private jet on a jaunt around Tory target seats in the North West today - including a flight lasting just 28 minutes.
The luxury RAF plane, one of a pair of jets used by Mr Sunak, left RAF Northolt this morning at 7.42am, before landing in Blackpool at 8.23am, 41 minutes later.
Following a Q&A event in Morecambe, the PM's jet left Blackpool airport for the 28-minute flight to Darlington - before Mr Sunak appeared in nearby Hartlepool.
The PM's plane would have reached cruising altitude for just seven minutes during his second flight.
The journey from London to Blackpool can be made in as little as two hours and 25 minutes at some times of day.
Several passenger trains were available between London and the North West this morning, with first class tickets costing around £148.
Tory Workington MP Mark Jenkinson claimed that taking the train would be "madness", saying: "He’s the Prime Minister, multiple train changes with a security detail and unreliable Avanti West Coast would be madness."
But a Labour spokesperson said: “Rishi Sunak isn’t even trying to hide these recklessly expensive habits anymore.
"Jetting around the country on taxpayers money like an A-list celeb rather than catching a train like the rest of us is simply absurd.”
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: "Rishi Sunak has learnt nothing from the past few weeks as he continues to jet about the country on taxpayers' money.
"It is simply ridiculous that he can't get a train like the rest of the British public do.
"Yet again, this Prime Minister is completely out of touch with the rest of society."
Asked during his "PM Connect" Q&A session in Morecambe why Blackpool airport, where he flew in this morning, have funding to reopen for commercial use, Mr Sunak said: "Right, so you know I travel around so I can do lots of things in one day.
"I'm not travelling around just for my own enjoyment - although this is very enjoyable, of course."
He said travelling by plane allowed him to speak in three different places on the same morning.
All three areas visited by the Tory leader today are in marginal constituencies the Conservative Party will be keen to target in the next election.
Morecambe MP David Morris increased his majority in the 2019 election, but polls give an 87% likelihood he'll lose it to Labour at the next election.
Acrington, where the PM visited earlier in the day, was taken by the Tories in 2019, but polls give an 96% chance it'll return to Labour in the next election.
And Labour lost Hartlepool to the Tories in a by-election in 2021, but polls suggest a 99% chance the Tories will lose it next time around.
"I'm working on all of your behalf, and trust me - I'm working as hard as I can to deliver for you and I can travel to make myself as effective as possible on all your behalf," he added.
No 10 too defended his use of luxury jets, saying train problems were not a factor.
The PM's official spokesman said he will use the "right mode of transport".
He said: "As I've said on a number of occasions, the Prime Minister will use different modes of transport depending on what's in the best interest of the best use of his time to enable him to get around the entire UK.
"He's going to three different locations in the UK today. He's spoken to the Prime Minister of Israel. He'll be back in Downing Street later. So, we use the right modes of transport to enable him to do that."
The PM's spokesman was unable to confirm when Mr Sunak last caught a train.
"That's not the factor that obviously decides this and you'll know we are investing huge sums into our railways," he said.
It would be the third time in two weeks the jet-setting Tory had used one of two gas-guzzling luxury Envoy IV Dassault Falcons from the Royal Flight for domestic journeys.
Downing Street last week defended his decision to make the 200-mile journey to Leeds on the jet, rather than by public transport.
A train from London to Leeds takes around 2 hours 15 minutes - with a day return in standard class available for around £100.
If the PM had wanted to travel first class for the trip, it would set him back around £155.
And last weekend he took a jet to Scotland to launch 'green' tax breaks.
The 888 mile round trip from London to Inverness would have released around 4.2 tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere.
The PM would have needed to plant 25 trees to offset the CO2 released by the journey.
