Hypocrite13 Apr 2025 03:35
“ED MILIBAND has spent 10 times more on foreign trips than his Tory predecessor, figures have revealed.
The Energy and Net Zero Secretary spent £62,712 on overseas travel since coming to power last year, an analysis by the TaxPayers’ Alliance has found.
Claire Coutinho, his Conservative predecessor, spent £6,155 in the first six months of 2024 after being appointed to the role on Aug 31 2023.
Mr Miliband has previously warned the public to reduce domestic flights “as much as we possibly can”, while himself taking long-haul journeys to international climate change summits.
The revelation has triggered criticism, with Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former Tory leader, accusing Mr Miliband of hypocrisy.
“ This is yet another example of the ‘do what I say not what I do’ politics of the net zero evangelism and its high priest Miliband,” he said.
Richard Tice, Reform UK’s deputy leader, added: “No longer Red Ed, Miliband has become Jet Ed, the flying green hypocrite.”
In August 2024, Mr Miliband spent £25,002.65 on a trip to Brazil “to signal Britain’s resurgent ambition for global leadership on international climate”, as well as positioning the country “strategically” ahead of the G20 summit in Autumn 2024 and Cop30 in Autumn 2025. In September 2024, he spent £19505.80 on a trip to New York to “attend New York Climate week” and the United Nations General Assembly. He spent £7,228.29 on a flight to Washington last October to attend the G20 Energy Ministerial, and a further £10,975.67 on a trip to Baku, Azerbaijan last November to attend Cop29.
Last year, Mr Miliband unveiled plans to spend £22 billion on clean energy projects including carbon capture, a scheme in which carbon dioxide is captured and buried permanently deep underground.
Joanna Marchong, investigations campaign manager of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Hard-working Brits shouldn’t have to fund this climate hypocrisy from MPs who refuse to practice what they preach.”
A Tory spokesman added: “As per usual, it’s one rule for Labour ministers and another for everyone else.”
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