Labour demands to see proof Boris Johnson wasn’t “taking taxpayers for a ride” when using government jet for campaign trip
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The Labour Party Chair, Anneliese Dodds, has written to her
opposite number, Amanda Milling, asking to see proof that the Prime
Minister did not breach the Ministerial Code when he used a
taxpayer-funded plane to make a trip to Hartlepool and campaign for
the Conservative candidate in a by-election. The Ministerial Code
makes clear that government resources cannot be used for Party
political reasons, and that where a Minister undertakes a visit
which combines official and...Request free trial
The Labour Party Chair, Anneliese Dodds, has written to her opposite number, Amanda Milling, asking to see proof that the Prime Minister did not breach the Ministerial Code when he used a taxpayer-funded plane to make a trip to Hartlepool and campaign for the Conservative candidate in a by-election. The Ministerial Code makes clear that government resources cannot be used for Party political reasons, and that where a Minister undertakes a visit which combines official and party political business, both the department and the Party must “each meet a proper proportion of the actual cost”. Yet even though the Prime Minister’s 1 April trip to Hartlepool included political campaigning – a fact acknowledged both by the candidate, Jill Mortimer, and the Prime Minister’s spokesperson – the Conservative Party declared “nil” for travel expenses for the whole by-election campaign. In her letter, Dodds points out that the cost of a private jet making the same return journey as the Prime Minister would cost nearly £7,000, and so it would appear impossible for the political element of his visit to cost £0 as a proportion of the whole trip. Dodds says: “The only conclusion I can draw is that your party chose to bill the taxpayer for Boris Johnson’s travel expenses.” Dodds asks Milling to prove that the Prime Minister and his Party have not broken the rules – by publishing a receipt showing that the Conservative Party reimbursed the Cabinet Office for part of the cost of the flight, and that this was accounted for in the Party’s by-election declarations. Anneliese Dodds MP, Chair of the Labour Party, said: “Not for the first time, it looks like Boris Johnson has been taking taxpayers for a ride. “Even by his standards, declaring that travel costs were ‘nil’ for a trip that saw him fly hundreds of miles in a Government plane and hit the campaign trail is outrageously brazen. “The Conservative Party needs to publish the documents that show they weren’t using public money for party political ends. There can’t be one rule for them and another for everyone else.” Ends Notes to editors
Dear Amanda, I am writing to you regarding Boris Johnson’s decision to fly to Teesside Airport on a taxpayer-funded jet on 1 April 2021. The Ministerial Code is clear on this point:
It is undeniable that an element of the Prime Minister’s visit was party political. The Conservative Party candidate in the Hartlepool by-election helpfully clarified this point on Twitter by sharing photos of herself and Mr Johnson and explaining that they “went out campaigning”. In response to an Insider story about the Prime Minister’s use of a taxpayer-funded plane for travel, a Downing Street spokesperson reiterated this point by stating that the trip included “a short political visit”. I am mystified, then, as to why the Conservative Party’s spending returns for the by-election declare “nil” for spending on transport. Even if there were also an official element to the Prime Minister’s visit, I fail to see how the “proper proportion of the actual cost” for a political element that both the candidate and the Prime Minister’s spokesperson agree took place can possibly be zero. A return flight from London Stansted airport to Tees Valley via private jet would cost almost £7,000; it would be reasonable to therefore expect even “a short political visit” to account for more than £0. The only conclusion I can draw is that your party chose to bill the taxpayer for Boris Johnson’s travel expenses. Not for the first time, it seems the Prime Minister and the Conservative Party have been taking taxpayers for a ride. Incidentally, in response to the same Insider story Downing Street pointed to section 10.16 of the Ministerial Code, which says the Prime Minister “may use their official cars for all journeys by road, including those for private or Party purposes”. That is interesting, but unless the Prime Minister taxied his plane up the M1 in order to reach Hartlepool – and I am perfectly happy to be corrected if it transpires that was the case – then I fail to see the relevance. I am sure you will agree that it is vital for the health of our democracy that we can all be confident that public money is being spent appropriately and wisely. I would therefore welcome an explanation as to where the costs associated with the Prime Minister’s flight have been declared. A Conservative Party spokesperson has claimed they were included under ‘Staff Costs’, so I would ask you to please publish a breakdown of all such costs for the by-election, including what I presume must be an invoice showing that the Conservative Party reimbursed the Cabinet Office for the cost of this flight. Without that evidence, it would appear that the Prime Minister has breached the Ministerial Code – and Labour’s Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Angela Rayner, has written to Lord Geidt to determine whether that is indeed the case. Due to the public interest in this matter I will be making this letter public. Yours sincerely, Chair of the Labour Party |