It’s a hard time to be in Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government, what with poor poll ratings and dismal economic forecasts to contend with. Perhaps that’s why Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner felt she deserved a free safari tour during a work trip to Ethiopia earlier this year. But it transpires her hopes were rather quickly dashed after civil servants told her that, no, the day out would not be possible on an official visit. Awkward…
As reported by the Times, two government sources revealed to the newspaper that Starmer’s second-in-command had hoped to tie in a bit of recreational sightseeing – as part of February’s east Africa visit to meet political leaders and oversee the signing of an investment deal. Despite Rayner’s plea, one insider commented that: ‘She was told that’s not how these things worked.’ Not denying the claim, the Deputy PM’s office remarked that ‘the itinerary was agreed in advance and this was not part of it’. Not like the second most senior politician in the country should have been able to work that out for herself, eh?
Rayner’s safari ambitions aren’t the only feature of the trip that ruffled feathers. The week-long excursion also included time in Ghana – racking up more than £20,000 of travel costs, as noted by Guido Fawkes. Opposition politicians have hit out at the Cabinet Secretary over the expensive expedition, arguing it distracted the Housing Secretary from her day job. Downing Street defended the trip, insisting: ‘There’s plenty of areas in the UK-Ethiopia partnership which support UK businesses.’ Perhaps next time they might care to budget a little better…
The revelation comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves remains in the spotlight over her decision to accept more free concert tickets – this time to a Sabrina Carpenter gig in London. All the while, the Labour lot insist Brits must accept more cuts to get the economy back on track. Maybe they should practice what they preach, eh?
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