Should Andy Burnham get an electric car? It would be £9,000 a year cheaper to commute between No10 North and Westminster in an EV than by train

Andy Burnham’s decision to create a No. 10 North sparked much controversy; especially since it raises questions about whether taxpayers are funding the move.

But another unknown is how the new Prime Minister plans to travel between his new northern base in Manchester and Westminster, and who will foot the bill for his travel expenses.

The issue became even more controversial after Burnham used the Government jet three times in five days.

The Prime Minister, who has built much of his political credentials on supporting public transport as Mayor of Manchester, took a VIP Airbus A321 from London to Glasgow on Thursday afternoon for the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

He then flew directly to Manchester on Friday morning, a 38-minute flight, straight to his office at Heron House, a government building in the city center used as the Government Communications Centre.

On Monday, he took to the skies once again for a 37-minute journey to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Portsmouth Naval Base.

Rail is the obvious option if the new Prime Minister wants to dispel accusations of hypocrisy and avoid creating a huge carbon footprint by using air travel.

However, the average train journey from London to Manchester – assuming no delays or cancellations – takes two hours and 46 minutes and comes at a pretty high cost.

Carwow calculated that if Burnham drove an electric car, she could make the same trip for less than half the cost.

The car buying and selling website says the Prime Minister could save more than £27,000 on commuting costs by driving an electric vehicle between now and the next general election in summer 2029.

It highlights the staggering cost of traveling by train in Britain, despite Labor’s landmark nationwide fare freeze until March 2027. This is the first fare freeze in 30 years and will reportedly save passengers £600 million.

Carwow has calculated that traveling by train from Manchester Piccadilly to London 40 times a year (once a week to attend PMQs) would cost £15,840 per year.

Car buying and selling website says travel costs could be halved if the Prime Minister drives an electric car such as the UK-built Nissan Leaf (pictured)

How much is the train fare from Manchester to London?

For unlimited return travel to the capital, an annual season ticket to London from Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria, Manchester Oxford Road or Deansgate (including unlimited travel within London Zones 1-6) costs £20,560 per year. That’s £61,680 over three years.

Alternatively, buying a return day ticket (without a railcard) will cost £396 per journey.

Doing this journey 40 times a year (once a week for PMQs) would cost £15,840 per year, or a total of £47,520 over three years.

How expensive is traveling by electric vehicle?

In contrast, an EV would provide significant cost savings.

Carwow used the UK-made Nissan Leaf, built in Sunderland, as its benchmark EV commute.

The new third-generation model, which arrived last year, provides about 315 miles of real-world range on a single charge.

Covering approximately 408 miles round trip, the car’s rapid charging would have to be stopped before the Prime Minister embarked on his return journey to Manchester.

The analysis found that a three-year lease of a Nissan Leaf with 20,000 miles per year would cost £17,961 including road tax.

Add in the cost of charging the car for weekly journeys using a combination of public fast charging and cheaper home charging, and the total rises to £20,265 over three years.

This represents a saving of £26,985 compared to the £47,250 cost of taking the train once a week, or £8,995 per year.

Buying the car on finance will cost £26,913, including road tax and duties.

The Sunderland-built Leaf provides a real-world range of around 315 miles. Carwow says the cost of hiring and charging for journeys between Manchester and London will be half that of traveling by train

However, the move is said to come with a time penalty.

The average travel time by road is approximately four hours each way, excluding traffic jams and road delays; which is over an hour longer than by rail.

Carwow consumer reporter Siobhan Doyle, who helped establish the commuting cost figures, said: ‘Rail is often seen as the obvious choice for business travel, but for someone making the journey every week an electric car could cost tens of thousands of pounds less, according to Parliament.

‘While not everyone has the means to charge at home or wants to drive long distances, this shows how competitive the costs of running electric vehicles have become compared to other forms of transport.’