Government plane stopped in Manchester to pick up Burnham — The Guardian

In the United Kingdom, a government plane heading to a Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in Antigua and Barbuda stopped in Manchester to pick up Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his wife. The Guardian reports this.

The aircraft, which the government leases for the prime minister’s trips, departed from Stansted near London at about 6:00 a.m. on Monday for Antigua and Barbuda. The summit there is due to begin on Tuesday.

Officials and several journalists from the parliamentary pool were on board, but Burnham was not. About 30 minutes later, the plane arrived in Manchester, where it picked up the prime minister and his wife. After an hour on the ground, it departed via Canada for refuelling.

Downing Street’s position

A spokesperson for the prime minister said that decisions on travel logistics are made for security and operational reasons, the details of which are not commented on. According to the spokesperson, data on the cost of the trip will be published in the usual manner.

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According to the spokesperson, Burnham was in Scotland on Friday and travelled to Manchester that evening to work at the No 10 North office. The prime minister’s family home is in Greater Manchester, where he regularly works on Fridays and spends weekends.

Opposition criticism

The Guardian notes that the additional leg of the route may have been more financially and environmentally costly than Burnham travelling to London. Shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood said that Labour had promised to limit the use of private jets, but, in his view, different rules apply to Burnham.

The publication also recalled that Labour had previously criticised former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for using private planes and helicopters for domestic travel. After coming to power, the party cancelled a £40 million contract for helicopters for such trips.