Rishi Sunak facing backlash over extravagant habit of using private jets, here's what's happening

Rishi Sunak is not an ordinary passenger but his critics believe that even for being a Prime Minister he splashes way too much on traveling by costly private jets.

Although the top politician is well off himself thanks to his high-paying salary and his billionaire heiress wife Akshata Murty, it’s not him who sponsors his expensive travel habit.

The PM’s luxury trips are funded either by cash-strapped British taxpayers, raising questions about whether the use of private jets is really necessary in the middle of the cost of living crisis, or come as allegedly 'questionable donations' to the Tory party, sparking transparency concerns.

Here is how much Britain's PM spent of jet-setting in comfort after eight months in office and what his critics are so worried about.

Rishi Sunak’s travels cost over £500,000 per week last year

According to UK Government data, Rishi Sunak took private jet trips costing almost £500,000 in just over a week last year.

A report detailed that just under £108,000 went on travel to COP27 summit in Egypt, flying in on 6 November and returning the next day.

A week after, the PM set off to the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, a round trip that cost more than £340,000.

A day trip to Latvia and Estonia to visit troops in December racked up more than £62,000.

National media reports that in January, Rishi Sunak took a taxpayer-funded private jet to Scotland to launch ‘green’ tax breaks and used the same costly way to visit a medical practice in Leeds in the same month.

In May, he flew on a government chopper to nearby Southampton, prompting questions about whether a rail trip would be more reasonable.

Wera Hobhouse, the Liberal Democrats’ energy and climate spokesperson, said:

This is a shocking waste of taxpayers’ money at a time when people are struggling to pay their bills. Yet again this Conservative government is completely out of touch.

The government can pretend to care about a greener future with their so-called ‘green day’ but the reality is they are trashing their own promises.

Rishi Sunak faces transparency questions

The latest register of member's interest also shows the PM and his eight-strong entourage were flown to the Scottish and Welsh Conservative conferences by private plane on April 28, resulting in a £38,500 bill.

A trip was funded by Balderton Medical Consultants, prompting the Labour Party to write to two standards watchdogs raising transparency concerns about Conservative party donations as the company-donor is said to be linked to one particular businessman - multimillionaire Akhil Triapathi.

The rival party questioned whether rules were followed over declarations of more than £88,000 in PM’s private jet travels in the past eight months.

Akhil Triapathi is a British-Indian medical tech entrepreneur who made a fortune from an anti-snoring device and who previously gave £114,625 to the Tories in 2021 and 2022.

Labour wants the watchdogs to investigate the transparency of the donations.

Sources used:

- Mirror: 'Rishi Sunak racked up £38,500 bill flying by private jet to Tory events'

- The Guardian: 'Sunak took £500,000 worth of private jet trips in less than a fortnight'

- The Guardian: 'Sunak faces transparency questions over jet travel and Tory donations'

- The London Economic: 'Sunak facing transparency questions over private jet travel'