Downing Street has defended Rishi Sunak choosing to fly to Leeds when visiting a healthcare centre, arguing it was the “most effective use of his time”. Publicly funded promotional pictures taken by No 10 showed the Prime Minister boarding an RAF plane to West Yorkshire.
Mr Sunak spent Monday morning speaking with staff and patients at the Rutland Lodge Medical Practice in Chapel Allerton, a suburb of Leeds. It is not clear where the Prime Minister boarded the plane, but a journey from London to Leeds on the train — a distance of about 200 miles — would have taken around two-and-a-half hours. Asked why Mr Sunak decided to fly rather than take a train, Downing Street said there was a “great deal of pressure” on his schedule.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The transport the Prime Minister takes will vary and will always be done in the interest of what is the most effective use of his time, enabling him to get around the entirety of the UK when there is a great deal of pressure on his time. It will vary (depending) on what is the most appropriate use.”
