London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Mar 09, 2026

Pundits Twitter-whip BoJo after PM takes private jet from London to Cornwall to attend climate-focused G7 summit

Pundits Twitter-whip BoJo after PM takes private jet from London to Cornwall to attend climate-focused G7 summit

Boris Johnson has been mercilessly heckled after flying to a G7 summit in Cornwall – where he says environmental issues are top of the agenda. The UK prime minister insists there is nothing odd with his choice of transport.

The British leader tweeted out an eco-friendly message to the world after his plane touched down in Newquay on Wednesday evening.

“I’ve arrived in Cornwall for this year’s @G7 where I’ll be asking my fellow leaders to rise to the challenge of beating the pandemic and building back better, fairer and greener,” he wrote, including a photograph of himself giving a thumbs-up sign as he exited a private jet.

BoJo presumably had a pleasant one-hour flight, but his green-preaching didn’t land very well.


Many cited experts and articles arguing that zooming around in a private jet is possibly the “worst thing” you can do if you want to protect the environment.


The UK chapter of Extinction Rebellion, a climate activism group, tweeted a photograph of a BoJo-like mannequin with its head in the sand.


Traveling some 250 miles (400km) in a private jet to attend an international forum which aims to address climate issues is “plane stupid,” quipped Labour’s shadow environment secretary, Luke Pollard, adding that the prime minister should have taken the train.

“The irony and lack of self-awareness of this message whilst walking down the stairs or a private jet is...not a good look!!” concluded one observer.

Others recalled how Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg had sailed across the Atlantic in order to attend climate summits and protests, preferring the slow mode of transport over emissions-heavy air travel – in sharp contrast to Johnson’s behavior.


However, Thunberg’s environmentally-conscious boat trip was later criticised after it was revealed that the sailing team that delivered the Swedish teen to the United States flew two crew members across the Atlantic to bring the yacht back to its home port.

But Johnson didn’t express regret when members of the press inquired about his questionable travel arrangements.

“If you attack my arrival by plane, I respectfully point out that the UK is actually in the lead in developing sustainable aviation fuel,” the prime minister argued. He pointed to the fact that his 10-point plan for ushering in a “green industrial revolution” includes the goal of getting to “jet zero as well as net zero.”

The UK assumed the presidency of the G7 this year, and has made climate change – together with the fight against Covid – one of the central parts of its agenda. The G7UK website lists “climate change and preserving the planet’s biodiversity” as a top policy priority. The Cornwall summit is billed as an opportunity for world leaders to “come together and discuss how to respond to global challenges like coronavirus and climate change.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Declines UK Offer to Deploy Aircraft Carriers to Middle East Amid Iran Conflict
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Return to Australia After Seven Years for Philanthropic and Business Engagements
UK Government Signals Independence From Washington as Cooper Says Britain Does Not Agree With Trump on Every Issue
UK Experts Warn AI Chatbots Are Fueling Surge in Claims of Organised ‘Satanic’ Ritual Abuse
UK Political Parties Divided Over Strategy as Iran Conflict Reshapes Foreign Policy Debate
Britain Discloses Secret Military Repair Hubs Operating Inside Ukraine
Trump Says US No Longer Needs UK Carrier Support After Delayed Offer Amid Iran Conflict
Why Britain Has Become Involved in the US-Israel Military Campaign Against Iran
UK Gas Storage Falls to Under Two Days as Iran Conflict Jolts Global Energy Markets
UK Warned to Brace for Economic Shock as Iran War Drives Global Energy Price Surge
Starmer and Trump Hold First Call After Public Dispute Over Iran Conflict
UK Dentists Returned £1.3 Billion to Government as Shift Toward Private Care Accelerates
Expert Warns UK Must Build Emergency Food Stockpiles to Prepare for Climate Shocks or War
UK Plans Charter Flight to Evacuate British Nationals from Gulf as Regional Conflict Disrupts Air Travel
Families of Zimbabwe’s Liberation Fighters Call on Britain to Help Locate Skulls Taken During Colonial War
Iran’s Ambassador Warns Britain to ‘Be Very Careful’ Over Deeper Role in Expanding Middle East War
UK Military Leadership Defends Britain’s Defensive Role in Expanding Middle East Conflict
Four U.S. Strategic Bombers Arrive in Britain as Iran War Intensifies
Soham Murderer Ian Huntley Dies After Violent Attack in High-Security Prison
UK Lawmakers and Experts Condemn Scale of Overseas Human Remains Held in British Museums
Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier HMS Prince of Wales Placed on Standby for Potential Deployment
United Kingdom Confirms U.S. Military Using British Bases for Operations Targeting Iranian Missile Sites
Starmer Defends UK Role in Iran Conflict After Renewed Criticism from President Trump
Blue Owl Reveals £36 Million Exposure After Collapse of UK Lender Serving Wealthy Clients
UK Asylum Reform Plan Triggers Fierce Debate Over Border Control and Humanitarian Impact
US Stealth Bombers Head to UK Base as Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran
UK Deputy Prime Minister Says Legal Case Could Exist for British Strikes on Iranian Missile Sites
Investigators Link Mysterious Parcel Fires Across Europe to Russian Intelligence Operation
Debate Intensifies Over Britain’s Legal Justification for US Military Operations Launched From UK Bases
Britain Faces Heightened Energy Price Risks as Iran-Linked Tensions Threaten Global Oil and Gas Supplies
British Counter-Terror Police Arrest Four Suspected of Spying on Jewish Community for Iran
Axel Springer Agrees $770 Million Deal to Acquire Britain’s Daily Telegraph
Iceland Supermarket Drops Trademark Challenge Against Icelandic Government in Long-Running Naming Dispute
UK Defence Secretary Visits Cyprus Following Scrutiny of Britain’s Response to Drone Attacks
Questions Grow Over Britain’s Military Readiness as Response to Iran Conflict Draws Scrutiny
UK Offers Failed Asylum Seeker Families Up to Forty Thousand Pounds to Leave Voluntarily
Saharan Dust Could Bring ‘Blood Rain’ to Parts of the UK as Weather Systems Shift
UK Deploys Additional Typhoon Fighter Jets to Qatar and Helicopters to Cyprus Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
Experts Urge Britain to Accelerate Renewable Energy Push as Global Conflicts Drive Up Costs
British Public Shows Strong Reluctance to Join Wider War in Iran
First UK Evacuation Flight Departs Middle East After Lengthy Delay
United Kingdom Imposes New Visa Requirements on Travelers from St. Lucia and Nicaragua
Iran Conflict Strains U.S.–U.K. Alliance as Trump and Starmer Clash Over Military Strategy
UK Interest Rates Could Rise Above Four Percent Again if Energy Shock Continues, Think Tank Warns
Starmer Defends Britain’s Iran Strategy as Badenoch Urges Stronger Military Support
Labour MP Says She Saw No Sign Husband Broke Law After Arrest in China Espionage Investigation
UK Jobless Rate Overtakes Italy’s for First Time in Years as Labour Market Weakens
United Kingdom Suspends Student Visas for Four Countries in Unprecedented Immigration Move
Campaigners Warn UK Student Visa Ban Could Push Migrants Toward Dangerous Channel Crossings
First U.K. Charter Flight for Stranded Nationals Set to Depart Oman Amid Middle East Crisis
×