Rishi Sunak takes taxpayer-funded helicopter for trip that’s 75 minutes by train for photo-op

The Prime Minister has been slammed for being “wildly out of touch with the British people”
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Rishi Sunak took a taxpayer-funded helicopter for a journey from London to Southampton instead of taking a train that would have taken just 75 minutes.

The Prime Minister opted to take the extravagant private mode of transport to visit a pharmacy in Southampton to get a photograph of himself having a blood pressure test.

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But the south coast city is connected to London by fast and frequent express trains from London Waterloo to Southampton Central which take just an hour and 15 minutes, with an off-peak return costing around £53.

An AugustaWestland AW109 aircraft, based at RAF Northolt, travelled to Westminster to pick up Sunak from Wellington Barracks near Downing Street before transporting him to Southampton Airport.

The train from Waterloo costs £53 for a walk-up standard ticket, or £88.40 in first class - with the station sitting just minutes away from Sunak’s doorstep - but the PM instead opted to travel by air.

PM takes helicopter for trip just over an hour by train for photo-op. (Photo: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)  PM takes helicopter for trip just over an hour by train for photo-op. (Photo: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
PM takes helicopter for trip just over an hour by train for photo-op. (Photo: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Flight records show the Sunak’s helicopter leaving the RAF airbase at 8:53am before arriving in Westminster and then proceeding onto the south coast airport at 9:47am, the Mirror reports.

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By comparison, an 8:35am train from Waterloo could have taken Sunak to the centre of the port city by 9:50am.

Two Range Rovers were later seen picking Sunak up after he got his blood pressure checked while promoting his policy of allowing pharmacists to prescribe medications for seven common ailments in a bid to free up GP appointments.

Downing Street defended the PM taking the aircraft to visit Weston Lane Surgery on Tuesday (9 May), saying it was justifiable as it made the most effective use of his busy schedule.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman confirmed Mr Sunak travelled by helicopter and that the trip was funded by the taxpayer.

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He said: “As you know, his transport will vary depending on his time, where he’s going to make best use of both his time and an 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, so sometimes being able to get to and from places quickly is the best use of his time.”

Sunak has been previously criticised for his use of exclusive short-haul flights. In January, he took a taxpayer-funded private jet to Scotland to launch “green” tax breaks.

His environmental credentials were also questioned as he took flights from London to Blackpool and onwards to Darlington in January.

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He has in the past been accused by Labour of “jetting around the country on taxpayers’ money like an A-list celeb” for taking planes around England.

Speaking on Tuesday, Labour leader Keir Starmer said Sunak’s wealthy background meant he “doesn’t understand” or “know the anxiety” that people go through.

He said: "If you compare the Prime Minister and me: When I was growing up we couldn’t pay our bills and our phone was cut off and I know the anxiety and the shame it has for families, so I know what people are going through. He’s a wealthy man - that’s good, I don’t knock that.

"But it means that he doesn’t understand, he doesn’t know the anxiety, that people are going through."

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Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat climate change and transport spokeswoman Wera Hobhouse said “no politician should be above using public transport to get around the country”.

She added: “Rishi Sunak has seemingly abandoned the government’s environmental responsibilities while throwing taxpayer money away so he can travel in luxury. This is just another example of him being wildly out of touch with the British people.”

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