Labour’s Rachel Reeves defends flying business class to America – insisting a mystery donor paid
RACHEL Reeves last night defended flying business class to the US – saying the bill was settled by a mystery Labour donor.
The Shadow Chancellor had been accused of hypocrisy for taking the posh seat while attacking Rishi Sunak and the Government for luxury travel.
She rapidly deleted a tweet showing she was sitting in seat 3K on her flight to the United States after a backlash.
But defending her expensive tastes, she told The Sun: “I’m here for three days. It’s the only long-haul flight I’ve taken as shadow Chancellor. I’ve got a very packed schedule while I’m here.”
And she added: “No taxpayer money was used to fund that trip.
“To operate on the level I want to operate at I think it was appropriate to ask a donor to fund this trip so we can do it in a way that we need to and want to.”
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The Prime Minister has come under fire for his “A-List lifestyle” after taking short plane and helicopter rides when travelling around the UK.
Mr Sunak was blasted for a journey in an RAF jet to Blackpool for a 230-mile journey to promote his levelling up policy earlier this year.
He also came under fire for a taxpayer funded helicopter trip to Southampton with critics saying he could have got a £30 return rail fare to visit a pharmacy.