The contradictory nature of the Conservatives is truly galling at this point
Boris Johnson has reportedly flown from Glasgow – where the COP26 climate conference is still taking place – to attend a private members’ club dinner in London, with Downing Street once again insisting “time constraints” prevented the Prime Minister from travelling by train.
To make things even more awkward, according to the Independent, one of the attendees at the function he was pictured as having met was Lord Charles Moore, a known climate sceptic and close personal friend of Owen Paterson – the Tory MP who was recently cleared of having broken ministerial code in a scandal that has brought more claims of hypocrisy down on the party.
Boris Johnson’s private jet flight to London 50 times more polluting than the train https://t.co/WNQMGSfKO6
— The Independent (@Independent) November 4, 2021
The Tuesday (November 3) night dinner at The Garrick Club in London’s West End was for a reunion of Daily Telegraph journalists, where Johnson was a columnist and Moore was the editor during his tenure. Johnson was pictured leaving the club at around 10pm, escorted to the door by Moore, the current Baron of Etchingham.
Moore still writes for the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, as well as The Spectator, having contributed to the former only last week: “no [climate emergency has been proved” – not mention having previously referred to the climate crisis as “speculation”.
The Mirror reported that Johnson left COP26 around 6.20pm and arrived at London Stansted at approximately 7.16pm – a really worthwhile and eco-friendly journey that took less than an hour.
While we already knew the reasons behind Johnson’s decision to fly instead of taking public transport (use of “sustainable fuel” and that emissions will be “offset”), it obviously isn’t a great look to round off a weekend fraught with criticism and frequent calls of hypocrisy. Even the COP26 menu has been in the firing line.
The PM’s appearance at COP26 was a mixed bag, to put it mildly: criticised for a rather rambling speech, not wearing a mask next to 95-year-old national treasure David Attenborough and even pictured having seemingly fallen asleep.
The party has been blasted for “wallowing in sleaze” over recent weeks and this casual hypocritical nature extends way beyond the actions of the PM.
It seems that flagrant flouting of moral, ethical and parliamentary standards is becoming less and less of a surprise and more par for the course.
Related links:
- Boris Johnson compares climate change talks to footballing comeback
- Tories announce humiliating U-turn over MP anti-sleaze regime
- Greta chants ‘you can shove your climate crisis up your arse’ at COP26 protest
