The eco-zealots never do manage to stay quiet for long. After Levelling-Up Secretary Angela Rayner approved the expansion of operations at London City Airport earlier this week – in a rebuke to the Labour-run Newham Council attempting to block it – the Green party has launched its latest protest. But the eco-activists would do better to think before they speak, as once again they’re facing a rather uncomfortable charge of climate hypocrisy themselves…
Labour’s move means that passenger capacity at London City Airport will rise by a whopping 40 per cent – from 6.5 million annual flyers to around 9 million. LCY has also been given permission to offer three extra flights in the first half hour of each day – although the airport’s weekend curfew is to remain in place. But not everyone is quite so thrilled about the decision. The Greens were quick to take to Twitter to slam the party of government in an emoji-laden tweet, fuming: ‘The government has approved London City airport expansion in a time of climate crisis. We think prioritising clean, affordable train travel is a no-brainer. Labour has other ideas…’
Er, right. It wasn’t long before a rather brief community note appeared under the post, simply stating: ‘The Green Party has repeatedly opposed plans to improve the UK railway network.’ Awkward…
Of course, the Greens have form when it comes to climate hypocrisy. Co-leader Carla Denyer was called out by Twitter’s community notes this week when she slammed Labour’s plans to raise social rents – despite calling for a 1 per cent-plus-inflation council rent hike in Bristol in 2021. And perhaps one of their most controversial takes is their anti-nuclear energy stance, a rather prominent part of their manifesto in which the party calls for the phasing out of nuclear energy to focus on wind and solar instead.
Yet it seems that even these more acceptable forms of renewable energy still don’t quite tick the box for every eco-zealot out there. Green councillors Frank Adlington-Stringer and Julia Hilton have opposed the introduction of solar farms in the past because of concerns about the destruction of existing green space. And apparently wind farms are also out of the question for the party’s co-leader Adrian Ramsay MP – who has opposed Labour’s plans to build one in his Suffolk constituency. Rules for thee, but not for me…
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