MP slams air passenger tax cuts by Sunak

Bath MP Wera Hobhouse has slammed the reduction in Air Passenger Duty announced in the Budget by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

According to the Liberal Democrat, who is her party’s spokesperson for the climate emergency, slashing the tax on domestic flights will create the same carbon dioxide emissions as 2.3 million extra train journeys.

She said: “Cutting tax on the most carbon-intensive form of flying as world leaders meet for COP26 is almost as damaging to the UK’S global reputation as it is to our climate targets and our planet.”

The move was announced within weeks of the final South West Railway service from Oldfield Park and Bath Spa to London Waterloo which is due to end in December.

At the same time, France has taken steps to ban internal flights where the train takes less than two and a half hours.

The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates that reducing Air Passenger Duty will see an extra 410,000 passenger journeys on internal UK flights, partly because low-cost airlines when they operate these routes can often undercut train fares.

According to Liberal Democrat research, the average UK domestic flight generates the equivalent of 223kg of CO2.

This would mean that the Chancellor’s announcement would lead to a 91 million kg increase in UK CO2 emissions - the same as an extra 50,000 cars or 2.3m train journeys. Taking the train on equivalent routes generates just 39kg of CO2 emissions.

“The Chancellor’s budget did nothing for the climate,” said Wera Hobhouse. “Rishi Sunak didn’t mention the word ‘climate’ once in his speech.”