Exclusive:
Defence sources said the senior Tory MP James Cartlidge used the chopper while at the Ministry of Defence to ferry him to and from events via an airfield near his constituency
New Tory shadow defence chief James Cartlidge has been accused of using a VIP taxpayer-funded helicopter as a “ministerial taxi service”.
Defence sources told The Mirror the senior Tory MP used the chopper while at the Ministry of Defence to ferry him to and from events via an airfield near his constituency.
On one occasion the ex-Defence minister visited Hightown Barracks in Wrexham and landed back at Wattisham airfield – close to the area he represents.
The former Tory MP for Wrexham, Sarah Atherton, even recorded a video of the ex-minister preparing to take off in the taxpayer-funded chopper back in February. “We’re here in Highton Barracks, he’s just about to take off,” she says in the recording with the helicopter in the distance.
On a second occasion in September 2023, Mr Cartlidge used the helicopter to visit Albemarle Barracks in Northumberland from RAF Northolt. He then used the chopper to travel back to the airbase close to his constituency, according to defence sources.
During the event he met with the former Tory MP Guy Opperman. He said at the time: “A really interesting and enjoyable visit – important to see the full picture of our MOD estate in every part of the country.”
A Labour source told The Mirror: “This demonstrates how wasteful and out of touch the Tories were in Government – more interested in using their positions for perks rather than strengthening our Armed Forces.
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“They spent 14 years hollowing out and underfunding our forces, then had the cheek to use an MoD-funded VIP helicopter as a ministerial taxi service. It’s only right that the new government scrapped this vanity project and put that money back into fixing the foundations of our forces.”
It comes after Keir Starmer scrapped a £40million helicopter contract used to ferry around Rishi Sunak and senior ministers back in August. The ex-PM was often criticised for his frequent domestic flying and even intervened in 2023 to stop the contract for the chopper deal from expiring.
The Mirror also reported earlier this year the former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, who lost his seat at the election, used an RAF helicopter to pick him up near home. He was accused of turning the VIP chopper into “Britain’s most expensive Uber”.
Mr Cartlidge’s team declined to comment.