JOHNSON’S JET!
Foreign Secretary asks for his own plane so he can fly the flag for Brexit worldwide
BORIS Johnson last night demanded his own personal jet so he can fly the flag as he travels the world, seeking new trading opportunities for Britain.
The Foreign Secretary thinks an official aircraft – possibly painted red, white and blue – will help project a confident image as the country finds a role outside the EU.
Floating the idea of a “modestly priced” executive jet, he said: “The taxpayers won’t want us to have some luxurious new plane but I certainly think it’s striking that we don’t seem to have access to such a thing at the moment.
“If there’s a way of doing it that is not exorbitantly expensive then yes, I think we probably do need something.”
Prime Minister Theresa May uses an RAF Voyager for official foreign trips.
But the converted fuel tanker is also available for use by members of the Royal Family and still takes on RAF air refuelling duties.
Mr Johnson’s suggestion follows frustration among ministers that he and other Cabinet colleagues are rarely given access to the plane.
For his five-day tour of South America this week, the Foreign Secretary took a longhaul business class commercial flight.
Speaking in Buenos Aires, Argentina, yesterday, he said: “What I will say about the Voyager, I think it’s great, but it seems to be very difficult to get hold of.
“It never seems to be available. I don’t know who uses it, but it never seems to be available.”
He also complained that the Voyager’s grey fuselage did not create an eye-catching impression.
Banned
“Why does it have to be grey?” the Foreign Secretary asked.
His request for his own plane is unlikely to be welcomed by Chancellor Philip Hammond.
A Learjet 75, a mid-size jet popular with business executives that seats nine passengers, costs around £10million, plus fuel and maintenance.
Last year, it was reported that the Ministry of Defence banned Mr Hammond from flying in RAF helicopters and jets in a row about bills left unpaid by the Treasury.
Under the last Labour government, then Chancellor Gordon Brown was reported to have repeatedly blocked requests from Number 10 for a dedicated prime ministerial plane – out of spite for Tony Blair.
The Voyager for prime ministerial use was finally approved by Tory successor George Osborne.
By contrast, US presidents have use of Air Force One, a luxuriously appointed Boeing 747.
Mr Johnson has also previously backed calls for a new Royal Yacht Britannia to sail the oceans flying the flag for UK trade.
He said yesterday: “I think the arguments for Britannia are still pretty good.”
He added that he plans to celebrate the official Brexit date on March 29 next year.
But he is not in favour of an Independence Day celebration.
“I don’t know what another Bank Holiday would do to close our productivity gap,” he said.