David Cameron has been accused of swanning around the world like a “Kardashian sister” by hiring a £42million VIP plane.
The Foreign Secretary chartered an aircraft described as “one of the best luxury private jets money can buy” for a five-day diplomatic jaunt around Central Asia. The Embraer Lineage 1000 has its own dining table where meals can be served, as well as a separate relaxation zone with extra-long sofas. It can sleep up to nine passengers.
Union Aviation, the charter firm that operates the jet, boasts on its website that a sommelier helps pick the onboard wine selection and that it provides a food menu suitable for “the most demanding passengers”.
Lord Cameron made stops in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia during his tour last week. The Government said he wanted to “increase engagement with this pivotal region”.
Last year, his predecessor James Cleverly racked up a bill of £422,747 when he used the same type of plane for a week-long tour of the Caribbean and Latin America.
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David Cameron made stops in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Labour’s Emily Thornberry said: "Sometimes, on a trip like this, ministers will need to use non-scheduled flights, and if the government's dedicated RAF jets are unavailable, they may have to charter a plane. That is all fine, but in no world do those circumstances justify hiring one of the most expensive, most luxurious private jets on the market to ferry the Foreign Secretary round Central Asia. That is an unacceptable extravagance.
"It's less than a year since James Cleverly was caught spending £422,000 on exactly the same type of jet, but instead of learning from that debacle, David Cameron has used it as a template. They are public servants, and they're supposed to use taxpayers' money as carefully as possible, not swan around the world like a pair of Kardashian sisters at the British public's expense."
In 2015, Mr Cameron claimed to be related to Kim Kardashian. Asked by Heat magazine whether he watched the television show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, he said: "No, but I'm related to them. Did you know I'm 13th cousins with them?"
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “The Foreign Secretary’s job requires him to travel abroad to pursue the UK’s interests. This was the most time effective way to do this in this instance. Value for money is taken into account in all travel decisions and costs are routinely published for transparency.”
The Government spent £10million refitting an RAF plane so that it could be used by VIPs when Lord Cameron was PM. But he only got to fly on the aircraft nicknamed “Cam Force One” during one trip as he attended a Nato summit in Warsaw, Poland, a few days before he left No10 in July 2016.
After Boris Johnson complained about the grey aircraft being drab, £900,000 was spent painting it red, white and blue so he could travel the globe in the colours of the Union Flag. The Voyager is shared by ministers with the Royal Family and provides air-to-air refuelling for other RAF planes when it is not carrying important dignitaries.
Lord Cameron made his surprise political comeback last November when Rishi Sunak appointed him as Foreign Secretary and made him a peer.
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