Starmer scraps ‘wasteful’ Sunak-era £40m private helicopter contract

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

The Government has scrapped the planned renewal of a £40 million private helicopter contract used by former prime minister Rishi Sunak.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed it will not be renewing the helicopter service, used by Mr Sunak and other Tory ministers during their time in office.

A Labour spokesperson said the Conservatives’ helicopter usage became “a symbol of their government: grossly wasteful, head in the clouds, and totally out of touch with the problems facing the rest of the country”.

They said: “Given the sacrifices the British people will have to make as a result of the last government, it’s only right that this service is brought to an end.

“Our new Government is putting politics back in the service of working people and getting a grip of the public finances.

“It tells you everything that, on top of the £22 billion black hole that the Tories were blowing in the public finances, Rishi Sunak’s priority was keeping his VIP helicopter service.

“The Conservatives left behind an unforgivable inheritance. This is just one step towards showing the British people that with Labour, they have a government that will deliver on our promise of change and fix the foundations of our economy.”

The contract was reviewed by Labour Defence Secretary John Healey, and it has been confirmed it will not be renewed at the end of this year.

During his time in No 10, Mr Sunak received backlash for using helicopters for journeys that critics said could have been taken by road or train.

Helicopter journeys included a visit to Southampton in May 2023 to film interviews in a pharmacy, a trip that would have taken an hour and 15 minutes by train, and a flight from London to Dover for a speech on small boat crossings, a journey of just over an hour by train.