British 'workers' in trouble .. Foreign Minister trips are causing controversy

Around the clock – In an exciting paradox, British Foreign Secretary David Lami found himself in the heart of a political storm after reports revealed that his flight bill amounted to 1.2 million pounds in just three months.

This “astronomical” number, which comes after the Labor Party pledged to tighten restrictions on the luxurious ministerial travel, puts the new government in front of a difficult test for its credibility, especially since the party from which the minister falls from, was one of the most critical critics of the conservative officials’ use of private planes, describing them as isolated from the suffering of citizens.

The British newspaper “Telegraph” says that the British Foreign Minister David Lami’s airport bill increased to 1.2 million pounds between October and December 2024, noting that he traveled on private trips, at a cost exceeding 14,000 pounds per day.

Although there is no indication that Lami’s use of private aircraft does not correspond to the behavior of his predecessors, the high bill risked controversy over the hypocrisy of the Labor Party ministers, who previously criticized the Conservative Party ministers for their use of private planes, according to the British newspaper “Telegraph”.

The newspaper pointed out that in October 2023, Rachel Reeves, the current Finance Minister, promised to “launch a strict campaign on the habit of using private aircraft for the Conservative Party ministers” if the Labor Party reached power.

“We will apply the ministerial law to the use of private aircraft, and we will provide millions of pounds on taxpayers in this process,” Reeves said.

Earlier, Angela Rainer, the current deputy of the Prime Minister, criticized Liz Tars for using a private plane when she was Minister of Foreign Affairs, and claimed that this shows “the lack of respect for this conservative government for taxpayers’ money.”

The Labor Party also described former Prime Minister Rishi Sonak as “isolated” after using special aircraft and helicopters to travel throughout the United Kingdom during the general election campaign.

According to the “Gido Fox” blog, Lami’s air travel increased to 1.2 million pounds between October and December last year, an increase of a third of the previous three months.

The website said that private flights formed the largest part of the bill, reaching about 1.1 million pounds.

Lami had a careful audit of his travel habits a few weeks after he took over the government when he used a private plane to travel to New Delhi.

The former minister of the Conservative Party, Andrew Morrison, accused the “new” ministers of “stunning” hypocrisy for “their rise and descent” from private planes.

“In light of the current global turmoil, it is necessary for the Foreign Minister to travel abroad in a very short time to defend and defend the interests of the United Kingdom,” said a British Foreign Ministry spokesman.

He added: “The ministers travel plans are determined, taking into account the optimal use of the minister’s time and general costs, in line with the practices used in successive governments … and these costs are compatible with what was the case in previous governments.”

He continued: “The Foreign Minister remains committed to guaranteeing the best cost -cost travel, while providing the best value for money for taxpayers.”