No10 defends flight to Manchester to collect Andy Burnham
The trip sparked a backlash with some questioning the value for money, but No 10 says security, cost and "operational requirements" were all factored in.
No10 has defended the decision to send the official UK government aircraft to Manchester to collect Andy Burnham, instead of having the prime minister travel to London before the flight.
Andy Burnham and his wife flew to the United Nations in the US in September.
The Airbus A321neo left London Stansted Airport for Saint John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, at around 06:00 on Monday without the prime minister aboard. About 30 minutes later, it landed in Manchester to pick up Burnham, then took off again to cross the Atlantic for the Commonwealth heads of government summit (Chogm).
The journey drew criticism on social media, with some questioning whether it represented value for money, but Number 10 said security, cost and "operational requirements" were all taken into account.
The aircraft, carrying the registration G-GBNI, is frequently used by British prime ministers and royals for trips abroad.
Flight-tracking data indicates the jet made a 35-minute flight on Monday morning to Manchester, where it remained on the tarmac for an hour and a half before departing at 08:00 for St John's.
In response, Tory MP and shadow cabinet minister Neil O'Brien accused Labour of managing to "waste taxpayers' money and jet fuel so they can posture".
"You have to pay through the nose for energy and fuel to pursue their Net Zero obsession... But when it's them, the rules are different," he added.
When asked why Burnham had not gone to London instead, his official spokesperson told reporters: "The prime minister's travel arrangements reflect where he was carrying out official government business at the end of last week.
"As you know, he spent the day in Scotland on Friday; returned to Manchester to work from Number 10 North on Friday evening."
Burnham is due to meet Commonwealth leaders on Tuesday, at the close of the King's Caribbean tour, with the prime minister saying he is "open" to the possibility of the UK formally apologising for its role in slavery.
It remains unclear how much the London-to-Manchester leg cost, or whether there is any precedent for it, because the Cabinet Office's transparency data for the plane only covers overseas journeys.
None of Burnham's trips have been listed yet, since the data is published quarterly.
The most recent figures, covering April to June 2026, show then-Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made four round trips on the jet, including a £121,000 journey to Armenia with 21 officials for the European Political Community Summit.
A trip from the UK to Paris in April cost £39,000.
The exact cost of each flight can vary depending on how many officials accompanied the prime minister, fuel prices and other factors such as landing fees.
It is also not clear whether moving the prime minister, his security detail and officials by train or road from Manchester to Stansted would have been significantly cheaper.
£900,000 repaint job in 2020 before being replaced with a different plane.