No10 defends flight to Manchester to collect Andy Burnham

Downing Street has defended sending the official UK government plane to Manchester to pick up Andy Burnham, rather than the prime minister travelling to London in advance of the flight.

The Airbus A321neo departed London Stansted Airport for Saint John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, at about 06:00 on Monday without the prime minister on board.

Half an hour later it landed in Manchester to collect Burnham, before taking off again to cross the Atlantic for the Commonwealth heads of government summit (Chogm).

The trip sparked a backlash on social media with some questioning the value for money, but Number 10 said security, cost and "operational requirements" were all factored in.

The official UK government plane, carrying the registration G-GBNI, is often used by British prime ministers and royals for overseas trips.

Flight tracking data shows the jet made a 35 minute flight on Monday morning to Manchester, where it spent an hour and a half on the tarmac, before taking off at 08:00 to head to 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.

Asked why Burnham had not travelled 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."