'Shocking waste of taxpayer's money': Sunak faces heat for spending £500,000 on private jet trips in 10 days

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took private jet trips costing almost £500,000 in just over a week last year, British daily The Guardian reported. Sunak is the richest ever occupant of 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK Prime Minister. Ever since he took the premiership, Sunak has come under fire for his luxurious lifestyle.  

The opposition blasted the prime minister for the air expense saying he was out of touch and unable to lead on green issues.

Sunak spent just under £108,000 on private jet travel to and from the Cop27 summit in Egypt, flying in on 6 November and returning the next day. A week after, he visited Bali for the G20 summit and came back on 17 November - a round trip cost more than £340,000, the report said citing a Cabinet office document.

In December, a day trip to Latvia and Estonia to visit troops cost more than £62,000. According to official documents, nearly another £20,000 was spent on other costs for the prime ministers, including accommodation, meals, and visas.

This does not include the costs for officials who also went on the trips. The delegations varied in size from the 19 who accompanied Truss to Prague to the 35 who joined Sunak in Bali.

Some prime ministerial flights, for example, those to and from Bali, also carry members of the travelling UK press, who pay for the flights, the report said.

A spokesperson from the prime minister's office, however, justified the expense, saying the role of the PM includes holding vital meetings with world leaders during bilateral visits and summits to discuss issues of international importance – including security, defense, and trade.

However, Liberal Democrats, a political party, said this was "a shocking waste of taxpayer’s money" at a time when most people are struggling to pay their bills or put food on the table. "Yet again this Conservative government is completely out of touch," the party said.

Wera Hobhouse, the Liberal Democrats' energy and climate spokesperson, said: "The government can pretend to care about a greener future with their so-called ‘green day’ but the reality is they are trashing their promises."

Sunak replaced Liz Truss as prime minister on 25 October 2022.