NationStates Jolt Archive

Just another step down the Presidential Prime Minister route.

Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Queen are to get two dedicated planes to use on official trips, the BBC has learned.

They are expected to cost around £12.3m a year - about £2.7m more than the current arrangement.

Shadow transport secretary Chris Grayling told BBC News 24 it was "the wrong moment to be splashing out taxpayers' money on funding the government to travel in style".

He added that if he became transport secretary, he would use Eurostar to get to places like Brussels, rather than take a plane.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell questioned whether the aircraft represented "good value for the British taxpayer".

"We are entitled to ask what the prime minister intends to do to reduce the environmental impact of his travel," he said.

But Labour replied that all Mr Blair's flights had been "carbon neutral" since April 2005.

There was also criticism over speculation that at least one of the aircraft is likely to be from US-built Boeing.

A spokesman for the Transport and General Workers Union, said it was "extraordinary that the prime minister should not be flying in a British-built plane".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5098126.stm

Just another example of New Labour Doublespeak. £2.7 million extra every year is somehow better value for money. :rolleyes:

Here's a transport solution for you, Mr Blair: pack your bags, hail a cab and leave. Leave forever.

The most ironic thing is that he may well never get to use these planes, as they're not due to be delivered until early 2008 or something like that. With a lot of his own party against him at present, I really can't see him lasting that long.

I'm not a big fan of the lacklustre Gordon Brown, but I'll certainly be glad to see Tone go.

Because in today's age of instant, global communications it's absolutely necessary for Princess Tony to be able to jet around the world on a jolly at a moment's notice. Hey, if he's not somewhere in time he might miss the photoshoot.

I'd recommend video-conferencing, but given this government's record with IT systems a couple of jets are probably cheaper...

Looks like these are just the replacement planes for the existing Royal Flight. Old news, must be a slow news day. :rolleyes:

TGWU spokesberk seems to think we still have an aero-industry though.
"Hey comrade, it's not the 60s anymore; Concorde has been withdrawn from service and both the RAF and our civilian airlines buy most of their planes from the USA."

Labour Government wastes public money and sucks up to the US.

Since when was that new news?

Has anyone seen the cartoon in the Times. It's a picture of an aeroplane with only one wing and engineer commenting that Blair didn't want a left wing. :D