Boris Johnson used a ministerial jet to fly home from a family holiday - 8 angry reactions

Prime Minister Boris Johnson took the ministerial jet home from a private weekend holiday to Cornwall with his family.

On the weekend before the Tiverton and Honiton byelection, which the Conservatives lost to the Liberal Democrats, Johnson was in Devon and Cornwall.

While there he made a number of political visits, but the following weekend was captured holidaying with his family on a St Ives beach, before flying home on the ministerial jet.

The news was first reported by the Mirror and records show that a government plane left London to fly to Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, a helicopter base near the tip of Cornwall, not far from St Ives, early on the Monday morning.

According to the ministerial code: “Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.

“Official transport should not normally be used for travel arrangements arising from party or private business, except where this is justified on security grounds.”

The code also states family are permitted to travel on the plane with a minister if it is “clearly in the public interest”.

Johnson’s use of the ministerial jet to fly his family back to London has sparked angry reactions about the use of public taxpayer money and the government’s commitment to climate change.

One person wrote: “Johnson used a government private jet to fly home from a weekend with his family in Cornwall. Cop26 and cost of living crisis all forgotten.”

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Another said: “It has emerged that Boris Johnson used a ministerial plane to fly back from Cornwall while on a family day out to the seaside

“Using the ministerial plane as a Taxi would have cost the taxpayer in the region of £10,000. Boris Johnson Should pay every penny back.”

Someone else wrote: “What climate crisis? I don’t know about you, but during a cost of living crisis where I spend half my day helping people with no food, I do enjoy seeing an entitled man using a private jet paid for by tax payers used as a fucking taxi for his holibobs.”

“Boris Johnson, Carrie and the children visited the beach in Cornwall over the weekend. Isn't that lovely?

“Wait! He flew back on a ministerial jet. So it's do as I tell you not as I do attitude is it Mr Johnson? I have no doubt there will be the usual excuses,” another user said.

Another argued: “Nothing says, “I take the climate emergency seriously” quite like jetting back from a weekend in Cornwall.”

One person raged: “Anyone else sick & f**king tired of reading how Boris Johnson’s using the official Jet to travel around the UK ?

“This thing costs a fortune of taxpayers money to use, him & Carrie treat it like a f**king taxi.”

“Question for Johnson this morning: Why did you take a jet back from your day on the beach in Cornwall instead of the train?

“It's environmentally unfriendly, financially wasteful, and entirely unnecessary. Why are you treating taxpayers like mugs?” another Twitter user asked.

Someone else said: “At least somebody (Starmer) is trying to save the British economy while Johnson jets back from a day on the beach in Cornwall at the taxpayer's expense.”

A No 10 spokesperson told indy100: “All travel decisions are made with consideration for security and time restraints. The PM is accompanied on government business by a delegation of staff, which is taken into consideration as part of ensuring taxpayer value for money.

“This was the sole reason for the plane being used to transport the PM and his staff back from this particular visit.”

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