Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used a taxpayer-funded RAF jet to fly to a political festival, sources have claimed.

Downing Street confirmed that the jet was flown empty from London to Teeside, while the Prime Minister took a train to campaign in a marginal seat near his home. Sunak visited Yarm in Stockton South, trying to mend fences after Home Secretary James Cleverly allegedly called nearby Stockton North a "s***hole", the Mirror reports.

The Ministerial code prohibits the PM from using government planes for party business or constituency visits unless time is critical and the only extra cost is for additional landing and take-off. In this case, the jet flew to Durham on Friday afternoon, stayed overnight, and picked up Sunak on Saturday morning for his flight to Rome, incurring extra costs for the RAF crew's overnight stay.

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The Prime Minister has been under fire for his expensive private air travel, often paid for by Tory donors or taxpayers. Earlier this year, he used a private jet to attend political events and the £36,500 cost was covered by Tory donor Akhil Tripathi. Recently, it was revealed that a company owned by a major Tory donor paid £16,000 for a helicopter for Rishi Sunak's campaign visit in Yorkshire.

Labour Party Chairwoman, Anneliese Dodds, said: "We know all about the Prime Minister's addiction to private air travel, but in the past, he has usually been careful not to ask the taxpayer to foot the bill when he is using his fleet of private jets and luxury helicopters to travel to political events. That makes it all the more surprising and inexplicable on this occasion that he should send an empty taxpayer-funded RAF jet to wait while he went campaigning in a marginal seat one day, and then fly him to a far-right political festival in Rome the next.

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"Has he forgotten the rules in his own ministerial code, or is he just not bothered any more about what the British people think, or how much he is asking them to pay?"

A source from Downing Street explained that the PM's flight costs and train ticket will be paid for by both the Cabinet Office and the Tory party HQ, however, the Ministerial Code doesn't say it's okay to use planes for political stuff, even if you pay back the money.

A spokesperson for the government said: "The Prime Minister regularly uses all forms of travel. His travel plans will vary and are always decided with consideration to the most efficient and best use of his time, and the interests of the taxpayer, in full accordance with the ministerial code and in line with established practice."

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