POLL: Should Rishi Sunak stop taking so many short-leg flights?

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has come under fire for using private jets and helicopters to make short journeys across the UK to attend meetings and events when public transport and commercial flights are available. Mr Sunak used his RAF Dassault Falcon jet to travel from London to Aberdeen on Monday rather than taking a scheduled flight which would have arrived at a similar time. In an interview with BBC Radio Scotland , he said that travelling by private jet is the ‘most efficient use’ of his time. He continued: ‘Every prime minister before me has also used planes to travel around the United Kingdom because it is an efficient use of time for the person running the country, so I can keep focusing on delivering for people.’ Labour’s Emily Thornberry has called out Mr Sunak’s travel, claiming that he has breached the ministerial code which says that private jets should only be used when no alternative is available. POLL: Should Rishi Sunak stop taking so many short-leg flights? (Image: Getty) The Shadow Attorney General, said: ‘We could all hear from the Prime Minister’s tetchy and disdainful response to the BBC that he is tired of being questioned about his addiction to helicopters and private jets. But he cannot simply wave away the rules in his own ministerial code. ‘Like every other member of the Cabinet, when it is essential to travel by air he is supposed to use scheduled flights where possible because that is cheaper for the taxpayer and better for the environment. If those are still the rules, then he needs to explain why he has not followed them.’ A Number 10 source said that Mr Sunak has ‘bespoke’ air travel arrangements and flying was the only time-efficient way for him to visit Aberdeen to make his announcement on new North Sea drilling licences in a day. Mr Sunak was also been criticised earlier this year for using a helicopter to travel to Southampton rather than taking the train. He also flew by helicopter to Dorset in February and returned to London before flying back to south-west England the following morning. So what do YOU think? Should Mr Sunak stop taking so many short-leg flights? Vote in our poll and leave your thoughts in the comment section below.