Cameron insists ride on RAF chopper was ‘appropriate’

The criticism came after the Telegraph reported that David Cameron avoided public transport on one of the hottest days of the year when he asked the RAF to ferry him to an event in Lincoln on Tuesday.

Mr Cameron met with staff and apprentices at Siemens gas turbine manufacturing facility in the city as part of a nationwide tour of businesses.

The Prime Minister was driven from Westminster to RAF Northolt in west London in his ministerial car before being flown to RAF Waddington in Lincoln, a short drive from the Siemens plant.

The decision to make the 140 mile flight by helicopter would in theory have only saved around an hour, although there were no direct train services from London to Lincoln at that time.

Following the question and answer session, Mr Cameron was asked by a reporter how he had travelled to Lincoln and he replied: “Today, I’ve actually, I’ve been flying around, but I use trains, cars, boats, planes, helicopters…all manner of means.”

The Prime Minister will use the most appropriate form of transport for his travel. Prime Minister’s spokesman

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister travels in a range of different means depending on the event or engagement he is going to. The Prime Minister will use the most appropriate form of transport for his travel.”

Asked on Tuesday why it was more appropriate for Mr Cameron to take an RAF helicopter than a train, the spokesman reportedly replied: “Because it was. I am not a travel agent.”

And asked whether Downing Street officials were concerned that the train may have been “too hot” for Mr Cameron, his spokesman said: “I didn’t have a thermometer on board the train.”

Once again it just shows just how out of touch the Tories are. Steve McCabe MP

Steve McCabe, Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, said: “People stuck on trains and in traffic queues in the sweltering heat will be appalled to find out that David Cameron was spending thousands of pounds of their money on a helicopter to ferry him to a publicity stunt.

“Once again it just shows just how out of touch the Tories are.”

Natalie Bennett, the leader of the Green Party, said:”Clearly, he should have taken a train for environmental reasons.

“Train services to Lincoln are not great – that’s just a demonstration of how much we need to improve train services around the country.”

She added: “I don’t believe the Prime Minister’s time is so valuable that he couldn’t have taken the train.”

The Telegraph said the cost of chartering a civilian helicopter for the same return trip would have cost around £12,000 – around 100 times the £120 cost of a train ticket. The cost to the taxpayer of the military flight is unknown, but is likely to have been much lower.