Keir Starmer defends accepting Qatari private jet for talks with leader

Sir Keir Starmer has defended taking a private jet paid for by Qatar to visit the country’s leader despite Labour attacking Rishi Sunak’s “private jet habit”.

The Labour leader argued on Sunday there is a clear “distinction” between flying around England when trains could be used and holding key talks with foreign leaders.

Parliamentary records revealed that Qatar provided Sir Keir with a private jet between the Dubai Cop28 climate conference and Doha to meet the Emir of Qatar.

The value for him to travel along with three members of staff was given as more than £25,000.

But Sir Keir argued he was visiting Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for key talks about the hostage situation in Gaza, with Qatar having played a major role in negotiations.

“I think there’s a distinction, most people will understand, between flying in the circumstances I’ve just described and using private jets to jet around England when trains will get you there nearly as quickly,” he told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.

“And the Emir of Qatar, a very important player in this, particularly at that point when there was huge pressure on the situation with hostages, he wanted that meeting, the only way I could have that meeting was to go and see him on a plane that he provided.”

Senior Labour figures including deputy leader Angela Rayner have attacked the Prime Minister over his “expensive private jet habit” as he frequently shuns train travel for short flights.

Sir Keir also faced questions over accepting the freebie flight to Qatar when he previously said he would not watch England in the World Cup there because of concerns about the Gulf state’s human rights record.

He told the BBC: “I wanted to take the opportunity to have that one-to-one discussion with the Emir about really important international issues and I stand by that.”