Downing Street defends government jet detour to collect Burnham

Downing Street has defended sending the government’s official jet from London to Manchester to collect Prime Minister Andy Burnham for a flight to the Commonwealth summit in Antigua and Barbuda, saying security, cost and operational requirements shaped the arrangements. The cost of the detour is not yet known.

The Airbus A321neo left Stansted at about 06:00 on Monday without Burnham, landed in Manchester around half an hour later and took off again at 08:00 for St John’s. The flight-tracking data cited by the BBC shows the aircraft spent about an hour and a half on the ground in Manchester.

The journey prompted criticism on social media over value for money. Conservative MP and shadow cabinet minister Neil O’Brien accused Labour of wasting taxpayers’ money and jet fuel. He also criticised the government’s environmental policies.

Asked why Burnham had not travelled to London before the flight, his official spokesperson said the prime minister’s arrangements reflected where he had been carrying out government business. Burnham had spent Friday in Scotland, then returned to Manchester to work from Number 10 North that evening, the spokesperson said.

Burnham is due to meet Commonwealth leaders on Tuesday, after the King’s Caribbean tour. He has said he is open to the possibility of a formal British apology for the country’s role in slavery.

It is not clear how much the London-to-Manchester leg cost, or whether there is a precedent for the arrangement. The Cabinet Office publishes data on overseas flights quarterly, and Burnham’s journeys are not yet included. The latest figures, for April to June 2026, show that former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer made four return trips on the jet, including a £121,000 visit to Armenia with 21 officials. The cost of individual flights varies with factors including passenger numbers, fuel and landing fees.

The BBC also notes that the available figures do not show whether taking Burnham, his security detail and officials from Manchester to Stansted by road or rail would have been cheaper.