Thank you to all of those who have contacted me about private jets.

I understand that Possible, the UK based climate charity, is highlighting the emissions relating to private jet flights and how Air Passenger Duty (APD), the UK’s principal tax on the aviation sector, is levied. Its research indicates that three quarters of private jet passengers pay the same APD as premium economy passengers or pay no APD at all. Further research has estimated that private jets in the UK result in about 600,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, equivalent to around 200,000 people flying from the UK to Hong Kong and back.

When asked if it would consider a policy to end flights by private jets, the Government has said the aviation sector “can achieve net zero aviation by 2050 without the need for direct interventions to limit aviation growth”. When questioned, it was not clear if it would consider levying the higher rate of APD on all private jet flights.

Given the UK hosts the largest number of private jet flights in Europe and the fact that private jet flights emit vastly more emissions than commercial flights per passenger, it is only right that the Government should consider what options are available to it to ensure that the costs of private jet flights are more proportionate to their impact on the environment.

As the largest contributor to UK emissions, we must prioritise decarbonising our transport sector. Fairness and giving people alternatives are key to a green transition, yet the Government is not making the investments needed to encourage people to use public transport – instead, we see record delays, overcrowding, and routes and services cut week on week.

More generally, we must not tolerate widening inequality. We need to move away from the failed trickle-down ideology. I want to see action to tackle non-dom tax status, replacing it with a modern, fairer system, and to close the loopholes in the windfall tax on oil and gas giants. We need urgent action to put climate at the heart of the agenda for a fairer, greener future – one that links prosperity, social justice and climate justice.

Thank you once again to all who have contacted me about this issue.