Starmer scraps £40m private helicopter contract used by Rishi Sunak

Labour has scrapped a private helicopter contract worth £40 million which was used regularly by Rishi Sunak on trips around the country.

The former PM came under criticism during his tenure for his habit of using a chopper to visit places that were easily accessible by train.

In one case, he flew from London to Southampton and back – a journey that would have taken just over an hour and a quarter on rail and cost around £53.

Now, Keir Starmer and his defence secretary John Healey have decided not to renew the five-year contract when it comes to an end on December 31.

A budget of £40m had been set aside for a new contract from 2025, but that will no longer be used.

Instead, the prime minister will only fly using government-owned aircraft when it’s strictly necessary for operational reasons, according to the Sun.

The move is intended to show the public that Labour ministers are uninterested in the more luxurious trappings of power and draw attention to the behaviour of their Tory predecessors.

News of the decision came ahead of a major speech from Starmer, in which he warned that October’s budget will be ‘painful’ and include actions he did not want to take.

Last December, it was claimed that Sunak had personally intervened to keep using the helicopters have the Ministry of Defence initially planned to stop renting them.

The Telegraph reported that Grant Shapps had been collected from his home by a helicopter three times in six weeks while he was defence secretary.

At the time, Labour dubbed it ‘Britain’s most expensive Uber’.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: ‘This government is committed to securing value for money for taxpayers. That means identifying any areas where we can reduce or improve the value of spending.

‘The money saved from cancelling this contract will be returned to the core MOD budget for more effective spending to support the strengthening of our Armed Forces.’

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