Angela Rayner has been accused of trying to tag a private safari onto an official government visit to Africa.
The Deputy Prime Minister is said to have asked if she could add the personal trip to the itinerary for a visit to Ethiopia in February.
Questions have already been raised about why the DPM, who is also the Secretary of State for Housing, needed to go to East Africa while spearheading plans to ‘get Britain building’ in the UK.
Flights for the DPM and her entourage cost an estimated £20,000, the Guido Fawkes website reported.
While there she met prime minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and visited schools and a health centre on a visit she said was to ‘demonstrate the UK’s ‘commitment to the region and promote ambitions for partnerships and mutual economic growth’.
But her attempt to fit in a safari to see some of Ethiopia’s wildlife – which includes increasingly rare lions, plus crocodiles, baboons, hippos and hyenas, was shot down by civil servants.
A source told the Times: ‘She was told that’s not how these things worked.’
Ms Rayner’s office did not deny that she made the request, saying: ‘The itinerary was agreed in advance and this was not part of it’.
The Deputy Prime Minister is said to have asked if she could add the private trip to the itinerary for a visit to Ethiopia in February.
While there she met prime minister Abiy Ahmed Ali (above) and visited schools and a health centre on a visit she said was to ‘demonstrate the UK’ s commitment to the region and promote ambitions for partnerships and mutual economic growth’.
But her attempt to fit in a safari to see some of Ethiopia’s wildlife – which includes increasingly rare lions, plus crocodiles, baboons (above), hippos and hyenas, was shot down by civil servants.
A spokesman added: ‘The deputy prime minister carried out diplomatic business and humanitarian engagements to demonstrate the UK’s commitment to the region and promote ambitions for partnerships and mutual economic growth.’
But shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake said: ‘You’d think she’d have enough on her plate dealing with the realities of setting a totally unrealistic target of building 1.5million homes, abolishing every district and county council in England and trying to save the high street from the disastrous impact of massive tax hikes and new employment red tape.’
It came amid a new row over government freebies.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she accepted free tickets to see Sabrina Carpenter live because it was ‘the right thing to do from a security perspective’.
The Chancellor said she and a family member went to a concert ‘a couple of weeks ago’ with tickets that ‘weren’t tickets that you were able to buy’.
Asked about the Espresso singer’s show on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Ms Reeves pledged to declare the value of her tickets.
Her visit to London’s O2 Arena, first reported in the i newspaper earlier this month, followed a row over ministers accepting freebies and a change to the Ministerial Code with new guiding principles on when gifts and hospitality are acceptable.
Sir Keir Starmer last year received several gifts from prominent Labour donor Lord Alli, including ‘multiple pairs of glasses’ to the value of £2,485, ‘work clothing’ worth £16,200 and accommodation worth £20,437.28.
Ms Reeves accepted free tickets to watch pop star Sabrina Carpenter – who opened for Taylor Swift in the US leg of the Eras Tour – in a corporate box
The Prime Minister later paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts which he received after entering Number 10 last year, including four Taylor Swift tickets from record label Universal Music Group totalling £2,800, two from the Football Association at a cost of £598, and four to Doncaster races from Arena Racing Corporation at £1,939.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander gave the Chancellor less than full-hearted backing this morning.
Touring broadcast studios this morning, Ms Alexander said she did not have ‘anything further to add’ to Ms Reeves explanation that she needed the perk for ‘security’ reasons.
Asked on Times Radio if the freebie ‘felt right’, Ms Alexander said: ‘I haven’t taken any tickets to be honest since I was elected back in June as a new member of parliament and going straight into the Ministry of Justice and then coming straight into the Department for Transport.
‘I actually sadly haven’t been to see any concerts at all over the last nine months, partly because I’ve been very very busy.’
Pressed on whether she would ever take tickets, Ms Alexander said: ‘I have never, as a member of parliament, I have never accepted tickets to any concerts or anything like that.’
