No10 defends flight to Manchester to collect Andy Burnham
Summary
The UK government defended sending its official plane to Manchester to pick up Andy Burnham for a Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Antigua and Barbuda. Downing Street said it considered security, cost and operational needs, but the cost of the Manchester leg is not yet known.Key Facts
- The Airbus A321neo left London Stansted at about 06:00 on Monday without the prime minister aboard.
- The plane landed in Manchester about 30 minutes later, collected Burnham and departed for Antigua and Barbuda at 08:00.
- Downing Street said the prime minister’s travel plans reflected his official work in Scotland and Manchester at the end of the previous week.
- Burnham is due to meet Commonwealth leaders on Tuesday.
- Shadow cabinet minister Neil O’Brien criticized the flight as wasteful of public money and fuel.
- The Cabinet Office’s published flight-cost data covers overseas trips, and Burnham’s trips have not yet appeared because the data is published quarterly.
- Published data for April to June 2026 lists a £121,000 trip to Armenia and a £39,000 trip to Paris on the government plane.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
