Plans to spend up to £40m on a contract for helicopters to transport Rishi Sunak and ministers have been shelved after sustained criticism of the prime minister’s fondness for regularly flying short distances.
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the current contract will come to a close at the end of September and will not be renewed. Official helicopter travel for ministers, also used by senior defence officials, “will be fulfilled by other means, including other assets available to HMG”, it said, giving no other details.
