Rishi Sunak has used a helicopter to travel to and from an engagement in Norwich, a trip of little more than 100 miles, Downing Street has confirmed, in another example of the prime minister’s fondness for flying brief distances.
Sunak flew from London to join Michael Gove, the communities secretary, at a Taylor Wimpey housing development, to mark a change to planning regulations that will scrap rules on chemical releases into waterways.
Trains from London to Norwich take about one hour 45 minutes. Downing Street said that in addition to the normal pressures on a prime minister’s time, Sunak was due to hold talks with Kuwait’s crown prince on Tuesday afternoon.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister regularly uses all forms of travel. His travel plans will vary and are always decided with consideration to the most efficient and best use of his time, in the interests of the taxpayer.”
While prime ministers taking UK flights by helicopter and plane are not unusual, Sunak has gained a reputation for the frequency with which he does so, even over short distances, for personal as well as work-related reasons.
In May, Sunak used a helicopter for an even briefer trip when he flew to and from Southampton to visit a pharmacy for an NHS-related announcement, a 160-mile round trip where the train takes an hour and 15 minutes.
A month later he used an RAF helicopter to travel from London to Dover for a speech on small boat crossings, a journey that can be done in just over an hour on high-speed trains.
For another set of engagements, in February, Sunak held a press conference in Dorset and then visited a family hub in Cornwall the next morning, but flew to and from London rather than stay overnight and travel the 140 miles between events.
For personal use, the prime minister has previously used private helicopters to travel from London to his North Yorkshire constituency, costing about £16,000.
In May, Sunak used a personal helicopter to visit the billionaire Arora family, who live two miles from Manchester airport, en route to his constituency.
