A £40m VIP helicopter contract used extensively by former prime minister Rishi Sunak is to be scrapped as his successor Keir Starmer vows to undo “14 years of rot” under the Tories.
Starmer and his defence secretary, John Healey, have decided not to renew a helicopter transport contract that expires at the end of the year after it was extended into 2023 at Sunak’s personal insistence.
The former prime minister used government-funded helicopters on several occasions while in office, even when the train journey would have been almost as quick, using them to travel to events in Southampton, Dover, Midlands del Oeste y Essex.
Healey’s decision not to renew the five-year contract, which had already been put out to tender, is set to be a symbol of Labour’s break with the previous 14 years of Conservative rule.
Starmer will emphasise that theme in a speech on Tuesday in the garden of Downing Road, when he addresses around 50 people from across the country, vowing to end “14 years of rot and a decade of decay”.
Speaking to an audience that will include teachers, nurses and businesspeople, Starmer will draw a contrast between his administration and that of Boris Johnson, under whom the Downing Road garden was used for parties during lockdown.
Starmer will say: “Parliament will be back in session next week. Political activity will resume, but it will not be business as usual.
“Because we can no longer continue like this. Enough of the policies of action, of covering up the shortcomings, of division and distraction. Now things are being done differently.”
And in an explicit attack on Johnson, he will say: “I wanted to invite you here today to show that the decent, hard-working people who form the backbone of this country belong here and that this government is here for you. A garden and a building once used for lockdown-breaking parties are now back at your service.”
While his use of the Downing Road garden is designed to mark a contrast with Johnson’s government, the end of the VIP helicopter service is intended to highlight the difference with Sunak’s.
Sunak was not the only member of his government to use the helicopter service: Grant Shapps used it to Pick him up from his house three times in six weeks Earlier this year, making it what the Labour Party called “Britain’s most expensive Uber”.
A Labour source said: “The Tories’ VIP helicopter service has become a symbol of their government: wildly wasteful, head in the clouds and totally out of touch with the problems facing the rest of the country.”
They added: “This says it all: apart from the £22bn black hole the Tories were blowing in the public finances, Rishi Sunak’s priority was to keep his VIP helicopter service.”
Labour is keen to keep the focus on its legacy from the previous government as MPs return to Westminster, with Starmer already under pressure over spending cuts and accusations of cronyism.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced in July that she would end winter bonus payments for 10 million pensioners after uncovering what she said was a “£22bn black hole” in the public finances.
That decision, as well as his reluctance to end the two-child benefit cap, is causing unrest in Labour ranks, with several rank-and-file MPs voicing their concerns publicly.
Cabinet minister Pat McFadden warned on Sunday that the public should expect more pain, saying the winter fuel payment cut “will not be the last difficult decision we have to make in government”.
Starmer is also disadvantaged by a series of appointments, which have seen Labour loyalists appointed to senior civil service posts or given access to Number 10.
Downing Road is under pressure to say who gave a pass to Number 10 to Waheed Alli, a Labour donor and fundraiser, who then organised an event in the Downing Road garden with other Labour donors.
The government was also criticised for appointing Ian Corfield, another Labour donor, as temporary head of the Treasury. Corfield has since downgraded his role to that of an unpaid adviser.
Starmer will say on Tuesday: “This government will not always be perfect, but I promise this: you will be at the heart of our government and at the forefront of our minds, at the centre of everything we do.”
