David Cameron Criticized for £42m Luxury Jet Hire for Central Asia Tour: Second Time for Expensive Charter
David Cameron faced criticism for hiring a £42m luxury jet for a five-day tour of central Asia as foreign secretary.
The Embraer Lineage 1000, which he traveled on to visit Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia, comes with a sommelier for wine selection and a gourmet food menu.
This follows a £348,000 bill for a similar jet used by James Cleverly for an eight-day trip in 2023.
The text describes a luxurious private jet used by former British Prime Minister David Cameron during his tour to multiple countries.
The plane features a dining table and a relaxation zone with extra-long sofas.
The shadow attorney general, Emily Thornberry, criticized the high cost of hiring the jet, which is one of the most expensive on the market.
Before Cameron's tour, the government stated that the foreign secretary would use the visit to promote British business opportunities and announce £50m in new funding.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson defended the need for the foreign secretary to travel abroad to represent the UK's interests.
The text discusses the criticism faced by British politicians, including Rishi Sunak and James Cleverly, for the high costs of their official travels using private jets.
Last year, Cleverly's eight-day tour of the Caribbean and Latin America cost approximately €400,000 (£348,000).
Sunak has also been criticized for using short-distance private jets for domestic journeys.
The text emphasizes that value for money is considered in all travel decisions, and costs are made public for transparency.