Rishi Sunak angrily defended his use of RAF jets and private helicopters to fly around the country today in a bust-up with a BBC presenter.
The Prime Minister slapped down Martin Geissler after he mentioned his use of air travel ahead of a trip to Scotland to launch an expansion of oil and gas exploration as well as green schemes designed to reduce industrial emissions.
Mr Sunak has been criticised previously for his use of RAF planes and private helicopters to travel around the UK on official and party political business when there are cheaper and less polluting alternatives.
However a train journey from London King’s Cross to Aberdeen takes around seven hours and an irritated Mr Sunak pointed out that he has quite a busy job.
He told the BBC Scotland presenter: ‘I’ll be flying as I normally would and that’s the most efficient use of my time.
‘Every prime minister before me has also used planes to travel around the United Kingdom because it’s an efficient use of time for the person running the country so we can keep focusing on delivery for people.’
The Prime Minister was riled by a BBC interview ahead of a trip to Scotland to launch an expansion of oil and gas exploration, and green schemes designed to reduce industrial emissions
Mr Sunak pictured leaving Aberdeen Airport on an RAF jet after his visit to St Fergus gas terminal in Aberdeenshire
Mr Sunak has been criticised previously for his use of RAF planes and private helicopters to travel around the UK on official and party political business when there are cheaper and less polluting alternatives
The criticism has mainly been aimed at far shorter journeys like that pictured above, from London to Southampton, in May
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Mr Sunak, who has previously raised eyebrows with his use of aircraft for short journeys, made the trip from London to the South Coast to visit a pharmacy
He added: ‘Actually that question brings to light a great debate here, if you or others think that the answer to climate change is getting people to ban everything that they are doing, to stop people going on holiday, I mean, I think that’s the absolutely the wrong approach.’
Asked if Mr Sunak appeared ‘testy’ during the radio interview, the PM’s press secretary later said: ‘I think that was probably because the interview started off with (the BBC) complaining they only had five minutes.
‘I would point out the PM has done Good Morning Scotland twice since he became PM and he is the first PM to do so since David Cameron.’
Mr Sunak has faced criticism of his use of air travel within the UK, although the criticism has mainly been aimed at far shorter journeys.
In May he flew 70 miles from London to Southampton instead of driving or using the train.
He was previously accused of behaving like an ‘A-list celebrity’ after he used an RAF jet to fly 250 miles to northern England to promote ‘levelling up’ funding in January.
That was the third time he had used an RAF aircraft in ten days for trips within Britain.
In March, it was revealed the PM had spent more than £500,000 of taxpayers’ cash on private jets to take him on foreign trips totalling eight days.
Mr Sunak declared war on Just Stop Oil today as he vowed to ramp up exploitation of North Sea oil and gas reserves.
The Prime Minister vowed to approve hundreds of new licences to drill for fossil fuels off the UK coast as he seeks to hit Labour over the cost of living.
Sir Keir Starmer has suggested Labour would ban all new applications to drill in the North Sea if it wins the next election – but would create jobs through a massive push towards green technology and jobs.
He has been mired in a row over donations received from Dale Vince, the green power tycoon who is also a backer of Just Stop Oil.
The Prime Minister told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland that new licences were vital to avoid the UK being beholden to ‘dictators’ such as Vladimir Putin through energy imports.
However, the PM refused to also ease the planned 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars.
