Sir Keir Starmer has scrapped a government helicopter contract thought to be worth £40 million as he prepares to change the way the country is run when parliament returns next week.
A contract brought in under the Conservative administration to ferry senior political figures around the country was set to be renewed in the coming weeks, but is now being scrapped by Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence.
It comes as Starmer prepares to tell the British public that things will not be “business as usual” when parliament returns next week.
Speaking about the cancellation, a Labour source said that the “Tories’ VIP helicopter service” was a “grossly wasteful” symbol of their government that was “totally out of touch with the problems facing the rest of the country”.
“It’s only right that this service is brought to an end,” the source added, claiming that the government is “getting a grip of the public finances.”
They said: “It tells you everything that, on top of the £22 billion black hole that the Tories were blowing in the public finances, Rishi Sunak’s priority was keeping his VIP helicopter service.
“The Conservatives left behind an unforgivable inheritance. This is just one step towards showing the British people that, with Labour, they have a government that will deliver on our promise of change, and fix the foundations of our economy.”
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