The government’s climate envoy has totted up more than 150,000 airmiles since she was appointed by Labour, in trips to conferences such as COP 30. That’s more than six times the circumference of the earth.
Rachel Kyte reports directly to energy secretary Ed Miliband and foreign secretary Yvette Cooper. The role of climate envoy had been previously axed by former Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
According to an LBC News report, UK taxpayers have footed a £104,804.65 bill for flights, with 80 per cent of this figure spent on flights.
The former World Bank vice president and special envoy for climate change raised eyebrows at the 2018 COP 24 conference in Poland, after wearing an Extinction Rebellion badge.
An LBC freedom of information (FOI) request revealed that most of these flights were business class, totalling 28, with 21 in economy – of which, one was boosted to premium economy.
One-way flight cost more than £6,000
The most expensive individual journey was a £6,136 one-way journey from Boston to Hainan, China in October, for “high level dialogue” with the Friends of the Paris Agreement group.
In February 2024, a return trip to the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam came in at a £6,040.26 cost to the public purse.
A government spokesperson said: “The special representative for climate was appointed to support ministers in driving action on the government’s priorities on international climate action and energy policy.
“Her international diplomacy has supported efforts to unlock more private finance to tackle the climate crisis and taken forward our mission to become a clean energy superpower.”
Meanwhile, shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said: “This is yet more Labour hypocrisy, yet more moral lecturing on standards which they are not upholding themselves”.
When Kyte was appointed to the role in 2024, she told The Guardian: “This government is committed to reconnecting the UK to the world with climate action as a priority.
“And the world is being shaped politically and economically by climate change. This provides an opportunity to use international action to help deliver on the UK’s energy mission.”