Sunak uses helicopter and jet for short trips within 24 hours

Rishi Sunak returned to London from Dorset by helicopter on Wednesday evening and flew back to south-west England by jet the next morning, Downing Street has said, in the latest example of the prime minister’s fondness for short-distance air travel.

Sunak, who has made recent private helicopter trips to his constituency in North Yorkshire, was at Lulworth military base in Dorset for a press conference with the visiting Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on Wednesday.

The next morning he visited a family hub in St Austell, Cornwall. But rather than stay overnight and travel the 140 miles between the engagements, Sunak flew to and then from London, a round trip of nearly 400 miles.

“He flew down this morning. I can’t say how he’s getting back,” Sunak’s official spokesperson said, confirming the flight to St Austell was in a jet. The prime minister left Dorset by helicopter, the spokesperson added. This is understood to have been an RAF Chinook.

The Labour chair, Anneliese Dodds, tweeted: “Is it any wonder jet-setting Rishi Sunak doesn’t understand the state of…