Reform UK's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick has pledged to cancel air passenger duty on short-haul journeys for adults traveling with children. The £166 million annual cost would be funded by cutting spending on migrant welfare, mental health benefit claims, and foreign aid. Jenrick made the policy announcement at London's Heathrow Airport on March 31, 2024, as he faces scrutiny over a £40,000 donation from Attestor Limited, which owns a majority stake in German airline Condor.
He defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK earlier this year. The policy would benefit Condor, which started its first UK route this month, making it liable for the air passenger duty that Jenrick pledged to partly scrap. Attestor Limited purchased a 51% stake in Condor from the German government in 2021, and Condor started flying from Gatwick with three daily flights to Frankfurt this month.
A Reform government, in our first Budget, will get rid of the family holiday tax. Air passenger duty will be gone for short-haul family trips. That will save a family on average £45 on their flights whether that's abroad or £48 if they're going on holiday here in the UK.
Labour has questioned Jenrick's motives, noting that air passenger duty increased by £2 to £15 for short-haul international economy flights on April 1, 2024. Labour said the public will question in whose interest Robert Jenrick is acting. It is unknown whether Jenrick disclosed the donation from Attestor Limited when announcing the policy, and there is no confirmation of any formal investigation into potential conflict of interest regarding his policy and donations.
The exact timeline and details of how Attestor Limited's donation influenced Jenrick's policy decision remain unclear.
The public will rightly ask – in whose interest is he really acting?