Andy Burnham is facing criticism after using the government's VIP jet to travel to Manchester for his first day working from No10 North, with critics questioning both the cost and the symbolism of arriving by private plane at a project meant to represent a break from a London-centric style of government.
According to flight tracking data, the Airbus A321 registered G-GBNI flew Burnham from London Stansted to Glasgow on 23rd July, where he launched the Commonwealth Games, before flying on to Manchester the following morning, landing shortly before 10am. The jet was reported to be scheduled to return to London later the same day, prompting speculation that Burnham would travel back south by train instead, for the optics of doing so.
The Cost and Carbon Questions
Guido Fawkes (X), the political website that broke the story, estimated the flights would cost taxpayers upwards of £30,000, and calculated that the three legs of the journey would produce roughly 27 to 30 tonnes of CO2 in total, comparing this to the average Briton's entire annual carbon footprint of around 7 tonnes.
Downing Street defended the use of the jet, with a spokesperson saying government aircraft are used in line with the Ministerial Code and long-standing rules governing official travel, and that appropriate transport is used where necessary to meet operational, security and scheduling requirements.
Burnham Unrepentant
Burnham himself did not appear troubled by the criticism. Asked to justify the cost, he responded by questioning the alternative, asking what it costs for "everybody to troop down to London every time there's a meeting when you need to make an argument about something."
The flight comes just a day after Burnham formally began working from No10 North, based for now at Heron House, an existing government building in central Manchester, ahead of a permanent civil service campus that is not expected to open until 2032. Security around the building has reportedly been stepped up sharply, with nearby Albert Square also receiving attention ahead of his arrival.
Part of a Wider Cost Row
The jet controversy adds to existing concerns about the overall cost of the No10 North project. The TaxPayers' Alliance has previously argued that taxpayers should not be forced to fund what it called a duplicate Downing Street, a fresh army of officials and another bureaucratic empire so that Burnham can "play Prime Minister in Manchester," urging him to focus instead on reducing the tax burden if he wants to help the North.
Separate estimates reported by Guido Fawkes ahead of the launch suggested the wider project, including a secure building, IT and communications infrastructure, close protection and staff relocation, could ultimately cost taxpayers more than half a billion pounds over time, though the government has said the running of No10 North will be covered by existing Cabinet Office budgets with no additional cost to taxpayers.
Why It Matters
The optics of the jet flight cut against the central argument Burnham has made for No10 North, that power and resources have been too concentrated in London and need to reach the rest of the country. Critics have seized on the flight as evidence that the project risks becoming, in the words of one government insider, "a gimmick" rather than a genuine shift in how Britain is governed, while Burnham's own response suggests he sees efficient travel between the two seats of government as a practical necessity rather than something to apologise for.