Sadiq Khan criticised 'for flying equivalent of 14 round-the-world trips' as he promotes climate initiatives
20 October 2022, 12:09
Sadiq Khan and his mayoral team have flown the equivalent of 14 trips around the world as he campaigns to be greener, it has emerged.
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The mayor of London, his deputies and officials are thought to have clocked 360,000 air miles since he he was first elected in 2016.
His publicly-available flight expenses feature trips to the US, Zurich, Mumbai and Warsaw.
Tony Devenish, the London Tories' environment spokesperson, said: "Londoners will be wondering which is heavier: the 23.1 tons of CO2 Sadiq Khan and his team will emit on the flights, or the hot air he will put out when he gives his inane speech.
"Hasn't he heard of Zoom?
"Sadiq Khan's flagship environment policy is in pieces. He should cancel his jaunt to Argentina, chuck his ULEZ plans in the shredder and start taking real action."
Recently, Mr Khan travelled to the US for a five-day trip to promote London as a destination.
Read more: Eco-activists block Knightsbridge and spray paint Harrods on 20th day of protests in London
He is next due at a Buenos Aires eco-conference, some 7,000 miles away. That is being funded by organisers, and City Hall said it would give British Airways sustainable aviation fuel to make the trip greener.
Mr Khan's spokesperson said: "Climate change is the biggest threat facing our planet, with cities responsible for 70% of carbon emissions worldwide.
"As the elected chair of the C40 network of global cities, the mayor is attending the C40 World Mayors Summit to lead critical discussions on the direct action major cities can take to help tackle the climate crisis while creating millions of new green jobs.
"London is a global city and the mayor and his deputy mayors have always played a vital role in banging the drum for the capital overseas to promote growth and to generate new trade and investment opportunities.
"This role is now more important than ever as we work to recover from the impact of the pandemic and the economic damage recently caused by the Government."
