Boris Johnson’s Office Defends PM’s Plan to Fly From Climate Summit

(Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson’s office sought to defend the U.K. prime minister’s plans to fly to London rather than take the train after his attendance at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland.

“Both the fuel that we will use for this flight is sustainable and the emissions are offset as well,” Johnson’s spokesman, Max Blain, told reporters at the conference. “It’s important that the prime minister is able to move around the country and obviously we face significant time constraints.”

Blain said the fuel used by the plane the premier will use on Tuesday is a blend of 35% sustainable fuel with 65% normal aviation fuel -- the maximum permitted. He said it produces 50% less carbon dioxide than the Voyager plane that the premier usually uses for foreign visits.

Johnson’s plans open him up to charges that he’s not heeding his own words on the need to translate words into action. On Monday, he told world leaders at the climate talks that they need to “get real” in tackling climate change, or their promises would amount to nothing more than “blah blah blah.”  

The primer minister’s government drew criticism from environmental groups last week when Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak cut air-passenger duties on domestic flights as part of efforts to improve national connectivity. 

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