Green Hypocrisy: In Final Act as Prime Minister, Net-Zero Mad Boris Johnson Takes Private Jet

49030001787_a937c530db_b
Steve Lynes / Flickr
Oliver JJ Lane

Green for thee, but not for me: despite his leadership having been one dedicated to green politics and shoving Britain towards Net-Zero, Boris Johnson’s very final act as Prime Minister was taking an unnecessary flight in a private jet.

Absolutely characteristically for net-zero preaching global leaders who legislate to destroy reliable energy and transport for the majority while delighting in regular private flights themselves — you only have to look at the flying traffic jam of small jets which is the annual Davos elite talking shop among many others — Boris Johnson skipped the opportunity to live up to his own political ideals and took a private jet Tuesday morning.

Departing Downing Street in the Prime Ministerial motorcade after making his farewell speech today, the Build Back Better-pushing Prime Minister took a government Dassault Falcon from Royal Air Force base Northolt to Aberdeen in Scotland. The journey to Scotland was necessary to fulfil the important constitutional function of the transfer of power between Johnson and Truss with the Queen, who is at her home in Scotland but is understood to be too unwell to travel.

Yet, for the Prime Minister, for whom no inconvenience, higher energy bill, or change in way of life for the general public to serve the green agenda can be too great, the obvious alternative of taking the considerably more ecologically sound train to Scotland was apparently too much effort.

While it is a very long rail journey, conveniently for the Prime Minister — had he decided to set an example with his final act in office — an overnight sleeper train runs from London to Aberdeen six days a week. According to Scotrail, who offers the service, the Prime Minister could have boarded a private room with a double bed and ensuite washroom at 2115 Monday night and woken up in Aberdeen at 0740 this morning, ready for his day’s work.

It also isn’t as if the Prime Minister can claim ignorance about the utility of rail travel to achieve the environmental goals he has pushed so hard during his time in office, to the great detriment of many, in the form of soaring energy bills. Indeed, he has been criticised before for flying inside the United Kingdom when railways cover the same routes and he even personally unveiled a green train and boasted about its carbon-cutting prowess last year.

After all, if in times of better health, ordinary public trains were good enough for the Queen…

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.