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.
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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”.
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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”.
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“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.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd September 2022 
