So much for going GREEN, Boris! PM took 'unnecessary' 50-minute ride in Tory peer's HELICOPTER - Tech

Boris Johnson has been savaged for taking a short helicopter flight from London to the West Midlands where he used a bike hire scheme – two weeks after pledging to ‘build back greener’.

The journey, which could have been completed by train in just two hours, was in a Sikorsky S-76C chopper registered to a company owned by Tory peer and donor Lord Bamford.

Johnson’s gas-guzzling May 5 trip – which took 50 minutes – left from north-west London and landed at Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green airport.

He then went to meet West Midlands metro mayor Andy Street in Stourbridge where they used bikes from a hire firm that calls itself ‘a sustainable way to travel’ to look round the area.

Street made sure the public knew about the ride, by tweeting a picture with the caption ‘Great to show the PM around Stourbridge by bike.’

Today the helicopter flight, which came weeks after Mr Johnson’s speech to the Leaders Summit on Climate, was heavily criticised.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson disembarks from his helicopter for a visit to the Black Country

Boris Johnson rides a bike along the towpath of the Stourbridge canal in the West Midlands

The journey from Denham aerodrome to Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green airport

Leo Murray, a co-director at the climate charity Possible, told the Guardian: ‘The prime minister’s decision to travel by helicopter and private jet for election campaigns on trips that could easily have been made by train is very troubling.

‘He either does not understand the implications of the climate targets he has signed Britain up to, or he is not serious about doing what needs to be done to meet them.

‘Imagine the positive message (travelling by train) would have sent to the British public about public transport use post-Covid.

Boris Johnson rides near the towpath of the canal with West Midlands mayor Andy Street

Lord Bamford, is the JCB company chairman, and whose firm the helicopter is registered

The PM’s speech to Leaders summit on climate last month

We were first country to pass legislation for net zero. We have the biggest offshore wind capacity of any country in the world, the Saudi Arabia of wind as I never tire of saying. We’re halfway to net zero.

We have carbon emissions lower than at any point since the 19th century, we’re ending support for fossil fuels overseas and doubling our international climate finance.

We’re actually speeding up because we see the obligations for developed countries to do more, we’re legislating to deliver 78% of the reductions needed to reach that goal by 2035.

As host of COP26, we want to see similar ambitions around the world and we’re working with everybody, from the smallest nations to the biggest emitters to secure commitments that will keep change to within 1.5 degrees.

And I think we can do it. And to do it we need the scientists and all of our countries to work together to produce the technological solutions that humanity is going to need. Whether it’s carbon capture and storage or solving the problems of cheap hydrogen delivery or getting to jet zero flying, getting to net zero flying, making sure that we can roll out EVs properly, making sure that our homes stop emitting such prodigious quantities of CO2, moving to sustainable domestic living.

We can do this together across the world. It’s going to mean the richest nations coming together and exceeding the $100 billion commitment that they already made in 2009 and I stress how important that is.

Plus, I think what President Xi had to say about the harmony with nature was absolutely vital. If we’re going to tackle climate change sustainably, we have to deal with the disaster of habitat loss and species loss across our planet and we want to see even more examples of government and private industry working hand in hand as with the newly launched LEAF Coalition to reduce deforestation and the multi-trillion dollar Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero.

To do these things we’ve got to be constantly original and optimistic about new technology and new solutions whether that’s crops that are super-resistant to drought or more accurate weather forecasts like those we hope to see from the UK’s new Met Office 1.2bn supercomputer that we’re investing in.

I’m not saying any of this is going to be easy. There is obviously going to be a political challenge. It’s important to go back to the original words of President Biden, it’s vital for all of us to show that this is not all about some expensive politically correct green act of ‘bunny hugging’ or however you want to put it. Nothing wrong with ‘bunny hugging’ but you know what I’m driving at.

This is about growth and jobs and the President was absolutely right to stress that. I want to leave you with the thought that we can build back better from this pandemic by building back greener.

Don’t forget that the UK has been able to cut our own CO2 emissions by about 42% on 1990 levels and we’ve seen our economy grow by 73%, you can do both at once. Cake have eat is my message to you.

Let’s work together on this. Let’s go to Kunming in October and Glasgow in November armed with ambitious targets and the plans required to reach them.

And let’s use this extraordinary moment and the incredible technology that we’re working on to make this decade the moment of decisive change in the fight against climate change and let’s do it together.

‘It really casts doubt on the sincerity of the recent, very welcome messages from the government about the climate crisis.’

Nadia Whittome, the Labour MP for Nottingham East and member of the environmental audit select committee, thought the journey was wrong

She said: ‘Boris Johnson taking a private helicopter from London to the West Midlands is clearly completely unnecessary.

‘Beyond the prime minister’s personal actions, it’s the government’s hypocrisy on spending and legislating to tackle the climate crisis that really concerns me.

‘Johnson has said he wants to cut taxes on domestic flights.

‘It shouldn’t be cheaper to fly in the UK than to take the train, but our overpriced, privatised rail system means that it often it is.’

Ben Bradshaw, the Labour MP for Exeter and a member of the transport select committee, said: ‘If Boris Johnson wants to convince people he is committed to protecting our environment, this is not the way to do it.’

Mr Johnson has promised green jobs as part of his frequently mentioned pledge to ‘level up’ deprived areas.

He also promised to boost zero-emission public transport in a 10-point plan he launched in November.

He said: ‘We were first country to pass legislation for net zero. We have the biggest offshore wind capacity of any country in the world, the Saudi Arabia of wind as I never tire of saying. We’re halfway to net zero.

‘We have carbon emissions lower than at any point since the 19th century, we’re ending support for fossil fuels overseas and doubling our international climate finance.

‘I want to leave you with the thought that we can build back better from this pandemic by building back greener.’

The Prime Minister has used a helicopter before to travel to Wolverhampton on April 19.

Back in December 2019 as he campaigned in the general election he took a private jet from Doncaster to Darlington.

During the April visit he was later spotted at The Mount Tavern pub enjoying a pint and talking to customers.

He was also taken to West Midlands Metro’s Wednesbury depot, where he chatted to workers along with West Midlands Mayor Andy Street.

During his visit, Mr Johnson sat at the controls of one of the trams and was given an overview of how to operate it.

Trams are widely seen as being good for the environment as they produce a third of emissions of the same people if they went by car.

A Conservative party spokesman played down the flight and said it was important the Tory leader was able to go to different areas around the country.

They insisted that the government had pushed hard on green issues to make sure it had reduced carbon emissions quicker than anyone else.

He told the Guardian: ‘It has long been the case that party leaders make visits across the country during election campaigns using a wide variety of transport.

‘Such visits are an important part of the democratic process, so politicians, including prime ministers, can visit as many places as possible within time constraints.

‘Under this Conservative government, we’ve reduced carbon emissions faster than any other G7 country, are producing a record amount of electricity from renewable sources and are a world leader in offshore wind.’