Andy Burnham today used a jet to make a 37-minute trip to meet Volodymyr Zelensky… just days after his 38-minute flight to open his ‘No10 North’ in Manchester.
Flight records show a Government plane departed Manchester Airport at 10.49am on Monday, before landing at Southampton Airport at 11.26am.
The Prime Minister later met with Mr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, at nearby Portsmouth Naval Base.
It comes after Mr Burnham prompted accusations of hypocrisy by taking a Government plane to travel from Glasgow to Manchester on Friday morning.
The 38-minute flight took the PM from the Scottish city, where he had attended the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, to his new ‘No10 North’ base.
He has established a Downing Street office in Manchester, where his family lives and he used to be mayor, as a symbol of his drive to devolve power out of Westminster.
The PM seems intent on using Government planes to fly domestically despite Labour, while in opposition, having attacked the Tories for doing the same.
Angela Rayner, who has returned as a Cabinet minister under Mr Burnham, was among the fiercest critics of ex-PM Rishi Sunak using RAF jets to travel within the UK.
Andy Burnham today used a jet to make a 37-minute trip to meet Volodymyr Zelensky … just days after his 38-minute flight to open his ‘No10 North’ in Manchester
As he hosted Mr Zelensky in Portsmouth on Monday, Mr Burnham said Ukraine could count on Britain ‘for as long as it takes’
Mr Burnham announced that Britain will hand over the intellectual property behind its new ‘Stone Cloak’ electronic warfare system, enabling Ukraine to produce the technology at scale
As he hosted Mr Zelensky in Portsmouth on Monday, Mr Burnham said Ukraine could count on Britain ‘for as long as it takes’.
The PM also told reporters that he intends to visit Ukraine ‘soon’ but gave no indication when that would take place.
‘Volodymyr, you are the first leader I have welcomed in person since taking office, and that is no accident,’ he said.
‘It is intended to send a very clear message: we are with Ukraine 100 per cent, I am personally with you 100 per cent, and I will honour every commitment this country has made to Ukraine in full.’
Mr Zelensky responded that the relationship between the two countries is ‘stronger than ever’, thanking Mr Burnham for his commitment.
The Ukrainian leader later posted on X: ‘We greatly appreciate that our team is the first to visit the UK since Andy Burnham took office.
‘This is an important signal of support, and the PM assured us that this support remains unwavering.’
During the visit, Mr Burnham announced that Britain will hand over the intellectual property behind its new ‘Stone Cloak’ electronic warfare system, enabling Ukraine to produce the technology at scale.
The tablet-sized device is designed to block Russian detection of any drones it is fitted to. The move will help drones ‘hit their targets and save Ukrainian lives’, the PM said.
The Ministry of Defence has already given thousands of the jammers to Ukrainian forces to bolster their drone operations.
Commenting on Mr Burnham’s decision to travel across the UK by plane, Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake said: ‘Of course we want prime ministers to travel in the most efficient way possible. No one is against that.
‘But the hypocrisy of Air Miles Andy is that he has ministers in his Cabinet who attacked previous prime ministers for doing exactly this.
‘And, to add insult to injury, his own Energy Secretary [Miatta Fahnbulleh] wants to tax people more to stop them flying.’
A Government spokesperson said: ‘The Prime Minister has a duty to carry out Government business right across the United Kingdom.
‘As with previous administrations, appropriate transport is used where necessary to meet operational, security and scheduling requirements.’
