Downing Street has defended the decision to send the government plane to Manchester to collect Andy Burnham for Chogm, with the No10 spokesman telling Lobby hacks today that travel arrangements are made “on the basis of security, operational requirements and value for money for the taxpayer”. Guido estimated this airborne taxi service cost the taxpayer around £20,000…
The aircraft left Stansted at around 6am without the Prime Minister on board, picked him up in Manchester around half an hour later and then waited on the ground for about an hour before flying on via Canada. The PM’s spokesman said he wouldn’t comment on Guido’s report that the detour cost £20,000, saying only that costs will be published ‘in the usual way’. In other words, a textbook non-denial…
When one hack suggested the police had advised against Burnham travelling from Stansted, the spokesman said that was “a complete mischaracterisation”. So security wasn’t a problem then…
Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked John Healey: “Just finally, I mean Andy Burnham has been very clear he wants Britain back in the European Union in his lifetime. Do you?”
The Chancellor replied: “I’m older than Andy Burnham. I don’t expect to see that.”