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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
John Stevens

Rishi Sunak takes VIP helicopter for trip that would have taken 1h15m on train

Rishi Sunak used a taxpayer-funded helicopter to make a journey that would have taken little more than an hour on the train.

The PM flew on a government chopper to Southampton as he attempted to brush off his local elections humiliation.

Flight records show the helicopter left from RAF Northolt at around 8:53am this morning, before landing at Wellington Barracks in Westminster where it picked up Mr Sunak.

The PM could be seen strolling from his car to the waiting aircraft carrying a black backpack.

He landed at Southampton Airport at around 9:47am.

If he had got the 8:35am train from Waterloo he would have arrived in the port city at 9:50am.

The PM could have taken a train to Southampton in a little over an hour (Jeremy Selwyn)

The helicopter returned to Battersea Heliport in London around 1pm.

A Labour source said: "While Keir Starmer was working with 20 new Labour councils to bring in new cost of living action plans, Rishi Sunak was gallivanting around in a helicopter for a journey which would have taken an hour on the train.

"Last week, the British public told the Prime Minister to get his head out of the clouds - it seems he just isn't listening."

The Prime Minister's spokesman defended the helicopter trip, saying: "His transport will vary depending on his time and where he's going to make the best use of both his time and in the interest of the taxpayer.

"Obviously there's a lot of pressure on his time and he wants to make the most effective use of that time. Sometimes being able to get to and from places quickly is useful."

No10 was unable to say when Mr Sunak last went on a train.

The PM’s taste for luxury, short-haul flights has become infamous in his first six months in office. In January, he took a taxpayer-funded private jet to Scotland to launch “green” tax breaks.

Rishi Sunak had his blood pressure taken as he visited a pharmacy in Southampton (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

He also used the plane to make short trips to Blackpool and Leeds.

On his visit to Southampton, Mr Sunak admitted last week’s local elections were “obviously disappointing” after the Conservatives lost over 1,000 seats.

But he insisted that he had the right priorities for the country. “What I can tell people is we are working day and night to make their lives better,” he said.

“The priorities I set out, I believe, are the right ones, they are the country's priorities and we will keep working to deliver them.”

Mr Sunak had his blood pressure taken as he toured a pharmacy to promote his plan to expand primary health care.

Peter Baillie asked the Tory leader to roll up his sleeves for the test during a visit to Weston Lane Surgery in Weston, near to where the Prime Minister was brought up by his GP father and pharmacist mother.

Rishi Sunak has been accused of jetting around the country like an A-list celebrity (Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street)

As the pressure monitor strap was put around his arm, Mr Sunak said he would need to relax and added: "It's a good day when I have five minutes spare to relax."

Afterwards, Mr Baillie, who is also a Conservative councillor, told him: "I have to say it's an extremely fit reading considering the hassle you must be under. That is very good."

Mr Sunak replied: "I am definitely very surprised by that."

He said he would be heading to visit his family in Southampton after leaving the surgery.

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