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.
24-hour bus services are now running across all Greater Manchester boroughs
Emily Sergeant
24-hour bus services are now running across all boroughs in Greater Manchester.
You may remember that back in March, it was announced that every borough of Greater Manchester was set to get a night bus service in what is hoped to be a ‘boost’ to the night-time economy… and now it’s official, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has launched those 24-hour buses this month, along with a series of other measures.
Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford now join the rest of Greater Manchester in having 24-hour bus services, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.
It’s expected that these new services will help around 625,400 people working in the night-time economy across Greater Manchester, as well as those out enjoying the region’s nightlife, TfGM has said.
The routes which will run around the clock from Thursday until Sunday are:
50 (Salford – Manchester)
216 (Tameside – Manchester)
263 (Trafford – Manchester)
192 (Stockport – Manchester)
83 (Oldham – Manchester)
All Greater Manchester boroughs now have 24-hour bus services / Credit: TfGM
They launch alongside the most significant service changes to the Bee Network since the completion of bus franchising last year – including other new bus routes, and more frequent services across Greater Manchester.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy everything Greater Manchester offers, without the worry of how to get there and get home,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor, Bev Craig.
“By growing the Bee Network, we’re making it easier than ever for people to use the bus, day and night.
“Our night buses are already providing a lifeline to some of the hundreds of thousands of people who are growing our night-time economy and working in essential public services.”
“Whether people are heading home from a night at the theatre or starting the early shift at a hospital, they can now get on board the night bus as a safe and affordable way to travel.”
Further improvements will delivered from January 2027, and a full breakdown by borough can be found on the Bee Network website here.
Featured Image – Aleksandr Popov (via Unsplash)
News
Police appeal after thieves steal 800 barrels of Guinness from HGVs in Cheshire
Emily Sergeant
Police in Cheshire are appealing for information after more than 800 barrels of Guinness were stolen.
Cheshire Police explained that, at around 7:45pm on Monday 31 August, a lorry entered an industrial estate in the Aston Lane area of Runcorn. The lorry is then connected to a HGV trailer containing barrels of Guinness, before leaving the site at 7:55pm and driving in the direction of the Mersey Gateway.
Then, at 9:12pm, a second lorry arrived at the same site in a different lorry and connected it to another trailer containing barrels of Guinness. The lorry left the site at around 9:30pm, in the direction of Rainhill and Watkinson Way.
The estimated total value of all the items stolen is approximately £205,000, police confirmed.
According to police, the trailers are described as white Tri-Axle Curtain side trailers with GXO company branding on curtains and rear doors.
The trailers also have unique ID numbers on their rear doors in the top left corner – with the numbers of stolen trucks being DL736 or DL542.
Both HGVs were believed to have been driven by men. The first man is described as white with a short dark beard and wearing a beanie hat, and the second believed to be wearing a cap.
Officers are now appealing to anyone with any information, or dashcam and video footage taken from around the time of the incident, to come forward.
“It is famously said that ‘Guinness is good for you’, but that is only the case when it has been bought and paid for,” commented Detective Sergeant McClatchy, from Cheshire Police.
“It is with this in mind that we have wasted no time in launching enquires to identify those responsible for the theft of £115,000 worth Guinness and the two trailers that housed the barrels.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd September 2022 
