New UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer cancels $52 million VIP helicopter contract

The new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour government have canceled a VIP helicopter contract thought to be worth £40 million ($52.9 million) in a break from the previous Conservative government. 

The former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was heavily criticized for his apparent fondness of travelling by VIP helicopter when cheaper train alternatives were available to him and members of the Cabinet.  

A BBC investigation in 2023 found that Sunak used Royal Air Force (RAF) jets and helicopters more regularly than his three predecessors.  

When the Labour took office in July 2024, Starmer was keen to end any signs that government was out of touch with the day-to-day struggles of the British public. 

The contract with Leonardo’s UK distributor Sloane Helicopters will not be renewed when it expires later this year.  

According to AIN Online, the existing contract was for two AgustaWestland AW109s operated by RAF pilots.  

“The Tories’ VIP helicopter service became a symbol of their government: grossly wasteful, head in the clouds, and totally out of touch with the problems facing the rest of the country,” a Labour source told The Guardian. 

They added: “It tells you everything that, on top of the £22bn black hole that the Tories were blowing in the public finances, Rishi Sunak’s priority was keeping his VIP helicopter service.” 

A tender for a five-year contract to provide VIP helicopters was publicized earlier this year but has since been withdrawn on the government website.  

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DefensebyClement CharpentreauAugust 28, 2024

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