The PM took a 36 minute trip from London to Leeds (Picture: Simon Dawson / No10 Downing Street)
Downing Street has defended Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to make a 36-minute flight from London to Leeds rather than taking the train.
It said it was the ‘most effective use of his time’ to fly on a short trip to Leeds rather than take the train.
He was visiting a healthcare centre and spent Monday morning speaking with staff and patients at the Rutland Lodge Medical Practice in Chapel Allerton, a suburb of Leeds.
Publicly funded promo photos taken by No 10 showed the Prime Minister boarding an RAF plane to West Yorkshire.
The Prime Minister boarded the plane, from RAF Northolt in west London and flew to Leeds Bradford Airport.
Downing Street posted a photo of Mr Sunak boarding the plane as the sun rose before it set off at 7.47am, according to flight tracker data.
He then landed in Leeds at 8.23am before the plane returned three and a half hours later, landing at Northolt at 12.25pm.
The aircraft is a French-built Dassault Falcon 900 trijet owned by the RAF and used by the Royal Family since it was delivered last year.
Asked why Mr Sunak decided to fly rather than take a train, Downing Street said there was a ‘great deal of pressure’ on his schedule.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘The transport the Prime Minister takes will vary and will always be done in the interest of what is the most effective use of his time, enabling him to get around the entirety of the UK when there is a great deal of pressure on his time.
‘It will vary (depending) on what is the most appropriate use.’
The UK Government is signed up to a pledge of having a net zero carbon emissions economy by 2050.
In July 2021, ministers set out a Jet Zero strategy, containing their plans for creating a net zero aviation sector, including switching to less polluting fuels.
He visited a healthcare centre in Leeds yesterday (Picture: PA)
Rishi Sunak speaking to Donna Pereira as he meets with a multi-disciplinary team who provide virtual care during a visit to the Rutland Lodge Healthcare Centre in Leeds (Picture: PA)
The PM has previously set out a Jet Zero strategy (Picture: AP)
MORE : Rishi Sunak raises hope that nurses strike may be averted, but no pay rises until next year
It did not include discouraging air travel but making travellers more aware about the emissions involved when flying instead.
Back in London on Tuesday, Mr Sunak chaired the first Cabinet meeting of the year.
In a readout of what was said, a No 10 spokesman said Mr Sunak had touched on the five priorities he announced in his new year’s speech last week.
He told his ministers that those priorities – halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting NHS waiting lists and stopping small boat Channel crossings – were ‘not the limits of the Government’s ambition but the foundations on which we can help build a better future’.
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Mr Sunak told Cabinet he wanted to ‘see this Government creating a more innovative economy’.
The Conservative Party leader said this included ‘investing in tech, seizing Brexit opportunities and backing businesses; strengthening communities, delivering world-class education; building a healthcare system focused on patients and supporting families’.
At the meeting, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt also gave an ‘overview of the main issues affecting the UK economy’, with the Government focused on ‘reducing economic inactivity’, Downing Street said.
The Government had previously refused to discuss wages for nurses and other public-sector workers, insisting those were matters for the independent pay review bodies, but over the weekend Mr Sunak hinted at movement.
While there were positive noises about the talks in some quarters, other unions were incensed by the lack of perceived progress.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Unite criticised the meeting with Mr Barclay, accusing ministers of ‘intransigence’.
The discussions in Whitehall were not enough to prevent the likelihood of further strikes in the health sector.
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On Monday it was not only health officials meeting with ministers, with Westminster hosting a series of cross-sector talks as the UK Government grapples with industrial action in the face of high inflation.
Teaching unions met Education Secretary Gillian Keegan ahead of announcements this week over whether their members will go on strike.
Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), urged ministers to come forward with ‘real and concrete proposals very quickly’ to avoid possible strike action this year.
Rail minister Huw Merriman called in train workers after sustained action crippled services, with only one in five trains running between Tuesday and Saturday.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch dodged questions about progress in rail talks but said that further discussions would take place.
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Downing Street posted a photo of Mr Sunak boarding the plane as the sun rose and he arrived just over half-an-hour later in Leeds.
