Rishi Sunak's use of jet for hospital trip defended by No 10

Downing Street has defended Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's use of a jet to visit a hospital as "appropriate" given his busy schedule.

His spokesman said flying to Leeds when visiting a healthcare centre was the "most effective use of his time".

But critics say Mr Sunak's choice of taxpayer-funded transport clashes with his pledges to curb climate change.

The 200-mile (321-km) trip from London to Leeds would have taken around two-and-a half hours by train.

Mr Sunak was pictured boarding an RAF plane on Monday morning ahead of his visit to Rutland Healthcare Centre to meet patients and carers, as the NHS is gripped by a winter crisis.

There were no train strikes on Monday, meaning services were running as normal after a wave of walkouts across the sector last week and in December.

On Tuesday, passengers travelling from London to Leeds could buy a return train ticket in standard class for about £100.

The UK has set a legally binding target of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, as part of the global effort to avert the worst effects of climate change.

Air travel accounts for 22% of the UK's total greenhouse gas emissions from transport, and 7% of the UK's total emissions overall.

Labour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, said households struggling with living costs would be "rightly angered by this show of extravagance by Rishi Sunak".

The Labour MP urged the prime minister to "come clean about how much taxpayers' money was wasted on this 36-minute plane journey for a three-hour visit at the height of a cost-of-living crisis".

Green MP Caroline Lucas said the prime minister's use of a plane incurred an "unacceptable cost to both the taxpayer and the climate".

"It is utterly indefensible for Tory ministers to make such short journeys by jet when far cheaper and much less damaging options are readily available," she said.

"This out of touch prime minister has his head in the clouds yet again."

In a tweet, SNP MP Tommy Sheppard said Mr Sunak's use of a plane made "a mockery of his climate pledges".

But defending the prime minister, his official spokesman said he used different modes of transport, "enabling him to get around the entirety of the UK when there's a great deal of pressure on his time".

"It will vary on what is the most appropriate use," the spokesman said.

Last year, Mr Sunak was branded "out of touch" after a newspaper report said he had paid more than £10,000 to fly by private helicopter to a Tory dinner in Wales.