New reports have claimed that the Prime Minister’s official airplane was used by civil servants for a “boozy jolly” costing £50,000.
Just as talk of the so-called ‘partygate’ was starting to wane, a fresh report by The Sun newspaper this morning has claimed that a number of civil servants and government officials hopped on board the Prime Minister’s official plane for a 700-mile “sightseeing” journey over the UK – which was said to have been around 91-minutes long and costing in the region of £50,000.
12 officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are said to have got on the Airbus A321 plane on Wednesday afternoon – which flight data has revealed took off from Stansted Airport at 1.30pm before heading north.
The RAF Voyager plane is shared between Boris Johnson and the Royal Family.
Its flight path reportedly included views of the Lake District and the spa town of Moffat on the Scottish Borders, before the plane turned around and headed back.
Reports also claimed a “fancy meal with a selection of alcoholic drinks” were served to those on board.
Prime Minister’s official plane reportedly used for a ‘£50k boozy jolly’ over the UK / Credit: 10 Downing Street (via Flickr)
The excursion made by the civil servants and government officials has sparked a backlash after claims it was “effectively a jolly” by one insider – but a government spokesperson has since said the flight formed part of a “necessary maintenance procedure”.
The jet needed to be used within 45 days for legal and operating purposes, the spokesperson said.
Responding to the claims made in the report, a spokesman from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told several news outlets including Sky News and the Daily Mirror: “In order to comply with Airbus and aviation industry rules the aircraft was legally bound to operate a maintenance flight before September 4 or face significant additional storage costs.”
Labour’s Shadow Trade Secretary Emily Thornberry also The Sun that if the claims turn out to be true, it would be “shameful beyond words”.
“This would be utterly disgraceful behaviour at the best of times, but in the middle of our country’s current crisis, it is shameful beyond words,” Thornberry exclaimed.
Questions about CPR and defibrillators to be included on driving theory tests for the first time
Emily Sergeant
Driving theory tests will soon include new CPR questions and questions about defibrillators in a bid to boost cardiac arrest survival.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has confirmed that, from autumn 2025, driving theory tests will start to build on the existing content that’s been part of driver education for years by adding enhanced first aid questions on CPR, and for the first time, questions on automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
The Government says the move aims to address the UK’s low cardiac arrest survival rates by making sure more people ‘know how to respond’ in emergencies.
Around 2.4 million theory tests are taken each year, so this means that hundreds of thousands of people annually will gain knowledge of life-saving skills through the enhanced questions.
At present, the driving theory test – which has to be taken by learner drivers before they can book their driving test – has two parts, and it’s in the first part where the enhanced first aid questions are expected to be added.
DVSA is proud to introduce CPR and defibrillator questions to theory tests ❤️
— Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (@DVSAgovuk) August 13, 2025
The first part of the test involves 50 multiple-choice questions drawn from a bank of over 700 questions, covering topics from road signs and traffic laws, to vehicle safety, hazard awareness, and crucially in this case, first aid.
Learners must get at least 43 out of 50 right to pass this section of the test.
The DVSA assures that the upcoming changes involve no additional cost, test time, or difficulty, and that they ‘simply update’ existing first aid content with current best practice.
From autumn 2025, car and motorcycle theory test candidates will need to familiarise themselves with CPR techniques, including proper hand placement and compression rates, and how to use automated external defibrillators.
“Part of being a safe and responsible driver is knowing what to do in an emergency – how to step in and make a real, life-saving difference,” commented Mark Winn, who is a DVSA Chief Driving Examiner.
“Learning CPR and how to use an AED is a very simple skill and adding this into the official learning resource is a great way for DVSA to support the drive to raise awareness.”
Featured Image – pxfuel
News
Urgent appeal after woman, 70, dies after being found unconscious with ‘serious injuries’ on a Tameside road
Emily Sergeant
An urgent appeal has been issued after a woman was found unconscious with ‘serious injuries’ on a road on the Tameside / Oldham border.
Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Serious Collision Investigation Unit is appealing for information after the woman, aged 70, was taken to hospital upon being discovered on Waggon Road in Park Bridge, which is an area on the border of Tameside and Oldham, at around 2:30pm this past Sunday afternoon (10 August).
Police say their investigation is centred on trying to find out how the woman came to be on the road, and ultimately, uncover more about the incident as a whole.
This is why officers are now appealing to the Greater Manchester public.
#APPEAL | Our Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) is appealing for information after a woman died after being found unconscious on a road on the Oldham/Tameside border yesterday (10/08/25). pic.twitter.com/lzjANgh8Tg
Anyone who saw the incident, or who may have dashcam footage, is urged to call GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 0161 856 4741, quoting incident number 1858 of 10/08/25.
You can also call 101, or talk to GMP via the LiveChat function at www.gmp.police.uk.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd September 2022 
