Rishi Sunak personally intervenes to keep his VIP RAF helicopter rides by getting new defence secretary Grant Shapps to reverse decision to axe £40million contract

Rishi Sunak personally intervened to prevent the RAF from scrapping a £40million helicopter flight despite criticism over his use of the official aircraft to travel around the UK.

Then defence secretary Ben Wallace announced in July the contract for two private helicopters was being axed, after the Prime Minister was criticised for using them taking trips to places like Southampton, a short rail or road trip from Westminster.

But the decision was reversed in September at the behest of Mr Wallace's successor, Grant Shapps.

The U-turn was revealed by the in-house newspaper at RAF Northolt, where the helicopters are based with No32 (Royal) Squadron under a VIP operation in place since 2006.

In comments picked up by the Sunday Times today, Squadron Leader Tom Woods, the commander of 32Sq, wrote in the autumn-winter edition of RAF Northolt Approach:  'In mid-September 23, the new secretary of state for defence, the Rt Hon Grant Shapps, reversed the decision at the request of the prime minister.

'There was frenetic activity … to rapidly ensure all the key elements required to allow [the helicopter] to continue service were in place.'

He also suggested that when the temporary contract comes to an end there would be a tender for a new permanent one. That five-year deal was previously advertised as being worth £30million-£40million

Mr Sunak has been criticised previously for his use of RAF planes and private helicopters to travel around the UK on official and party political business when there are cheaper and less polluting alternatives. 

In May he flew 70 miles from London to Southampton instead of driving or using the train.

He was previously accused of behaving like an 'A-list celebrity' after he used an RAF jet to fly 250 miles to northern England to promote 'levelling up' funding in January.

That was the third time he had used an RAF aircraft in ten days for trips within Britain.

In March, it was revealed the PM had spent more than £500,000 of taxpayers' cash on private jets to take him on foreign trips totalling eight days.

In August it was revealed he had used RAF jets and helicopters for domestic flights once every eight days since entering No10, it has been revealed.

According to new data, the Prime Minister has boarded RAF aircraft for journeys within the UK more frequently than his three immediate predecessors.

Since he took office on 25 October and up to April this year, Mr Sunak has taken 23 domestic flights on official planes and helicopters over 187 days.

This is an average of one flight every eight days, which puts the PM ahead of Liz Truss (one flight every 12 days on average), Boris Johnson (one flight every 20 days) and Theresa May (one flight every 13 days).