13-07-2025
Starmer rejects Johnson's Brexit jet for smaller plane
The RAF jet that was resprayed in Union Jack colours by Boris Johnson at a cost of £800,000 has been sidelined by Sir Keir Starmer.
The Vespina Voyager, an air-to-air refuelling plane, was given a patriotic upgrade by the former prime minister in 2020 and compared to the US president's Air Force One.
But it has now been reported that the jet has not been used for VIP flights for two years, while Sir Keir has used a smaller plane for trips to visit other world leaders.
The Sunday Mirror reported that the Vespina has only been used as a refuelling aircraft since Labour took office, despite its new paint job to make it suitable for transporting the prime minister.
Mr Johnson ordered the plane to be resprayed in white, with a Union Flag on the tail and a blue swoosh on the fuselage.
The upgrade cost almost £900,000, and was defended by Downing Street at the time as a livery that would 'better represent the UK around the world with national branding'.
Sir Keir has instead opted to fly in the smaller government Airbus A321-2NX, which was also used by the King and Queen for their trip to Canada earlier this year.
The smaller plane is leased from Titan Airways, rather than being wholly owned by the British Armed Forces.
It is also decked out in red, white and blue paint, and has been rented by the Cabinet Office since 2021.
Meanwhile, the RAF Voyager has been used solely for refuelling military aircraft over the North Sea, which a spokesman described as its 'primary role'.
The jet, nicknamed the 'Brexit Plane', has no need to be painted in national colours when performing that role. Other RAF Voyagers are painted grey.
The plane is based at RAF Brize Norton, where Palestine Action protesters last month attacked planes with red paint.
The red, white and blue jet was not affected by the protest, which has resulted in Palestine Action being named as a proscribed terrorist group by the Home Office.
Sir Keir described the protest as 'disgraceful', but the stunt appears to have increased the group's popularity.
More than 70 people have been arrested at protests against the decision to proscribe Palestine Action, including 42 people in London on Saturday.
An RAF spokesman told The Telegraph: 'The RAF Vespina Voyager continues to be available for all roles including its primary role of AAR [air-to-air refuelling] and when required VIP flights.'
