Sunak says he will ‘probably be driving’ to Manchester for Tory party conference

Rishi Sunak has said he will “probably be driving” to Manchester for the Conservative Party conference when pressed about his travel plans.

The Prime Minister has often received criticism from his political opponents for travelling across the country by private jet or helicopter.

Giving a series of local radio interviews ahead of the Tory party conference and amid reports he is weighing axing the Birmingham-Manchester leg of HS2, Mr Sunak said he “would be catching the train” on Saturday if it was not for the strikes.

Asked on BBC Radio Manchester about his travel plans for the conference, he said: “I’ll probably be driving because train strikes have been put in place, which is very disappointing, actually, at a time when people are trying to just get around and do their regular business.

“Strikes are very disruptive on people and actually, that’s why we’ve taken action recently to pass new laws in Parliament that will ensure that you know, when people do strike, which is obviously their right, that we can put in place minimum levels of service.”

On whether he would be tempted to catch the train if there was an HS2 line in place, the Prime Minister said: “I would be catching the train on Saturday if there weren’t strikes.”

Pressed on the fact he has travelled by private jet before, he said: “I take lots of different forms of travel to get around. Mainly because it means I can squeeze more into my day. I’m working very hard to deliver for the country. There’s a lot going on. There’s a lot I’ve got to deal with. I spend every minute of my day working to deliver for people.”