BORIS Johnson’s official jet was used for a drink-fuelled "jolly" by civil servants, according to a report.

The Sun says that the 700-mile round trip for 12 mandarins cost the taxpayer £50,000.

The 90-minute sightseeing flight took the Foreign Office officials from Stansted up to the Lake District, over Moffat before heading back south again. 

They were, according to the paper, served a “fancy meal” on board with a selection of alcoholic drinks.

Though, Sky News later reported that the meal was not "fancy" and was just the "usual catering for a flight".

A spokesperson for the government said the trip was necessary because of strict rules around planes sitting idle.

They said: "In order to comply with Airbus and aviation industry rules, the aircraft was legally bound to operate a maintenance flight before 4 September or face significant additional storage costs."

However, the Sun quoted a source who said the inclusion of the civil servants meant that it was effectively a “jolly”.

Labour’s Shadow Trade Secretary Emily Thornberry blasted the officials: “This would be utterly disgraceful behaviour at the best of times, but in the middle of our country’s current crisis, it is shameful beyond words.”

The paper claims the plane is estimated to have pumped out around 300kg of CO2 emissions during the flight.

The RAF Voyager plane is shared between Boris Johnson and the Royal Family. Once grey, it was resprayed white, and given a Union Jack on its tail in a controversial £900,000 makeover.