Boris Johnson sparks outrage by flying 90 miles in a plane instead of taking his bus

The Prime Minister took a plane for around two-thirds of the 156-mile journey between Grimsby and Washington - weeks after allies claimed his general election manifesto would be the greenest in history

Boris Johnson sparked outrage today by flying just 90 miles in a gas-guzzling 72-seat plane instead of taking his own election battle bus.

The Prime Minister was condemned after taking aides and journalists on the half-hour flight this morning from Doncaster Sheffield Airport to Teesside Airport - despite the same journey taking around an hour and 43 minutes on the road.

It comes despite the Tory leader's allies claiming his plan for government would be the greenest in history - even greener than the Green Party.

Last month Chancellor Sajid Javid said the manifesto would be "the most green manifesto any party has ever published".

Yet today Mr Johnson took a plane for almost two thirds of the 156-mile journey between Grimsby Fish Market and Fergusons Transport, near Washington, Tyne and Wear.

The distance between the two airports, on what is thought to have been a charter plane, would be around 90 miles on the roads, according to Google Maps.

It's true that if Mr Johnson had wanted to go all the way from Grimsby Docks to Sunderland by rail, it would have taken more than four hours and three changes.

But Doncaster and Darlington - the two stations nearest the two airports he used - are connected by a direct train that takes just 55 minutes.

Greenpeace UK’s chief scientist Doug Parr said: “It’s absurd and unacceptable for anyone to take a flight for a journey that could be done less than an hour by train.

"Not least the prime minister, who should be leading by example. It makes his lack of ambition for tackling the issue glaringly obvious.”

Aaron Kiely, a climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “Saving half an hour of travel time has resulted in a journey that’s far worse for the planet.

"It’s impossible to see what benefit could come from flying over such a short distance rather than using a train, or even campaign bus.

"Nobody, including the prime minister, can get away from the fact that fewer planes in the sky will help to fix the climate crisis.”

Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald added: "How can Boris Johnson say he is committed to bringing down emissions when he's prepared to take unnecessary and environmentally damaging flights?

"Boris Johnson is living proof that the majority of flights are taken by the privileged few, while the rest of us pay the price of global heating.

"Under a Labour government we'll make sure that our trains and buses are properly invested in, so that Boris Johnson can make more environmentally friendly decisions in the future."

The Alsie Express twin-propeller plane has around 72 seats and was around two-thirds full when the PM and his team took the short hop.

It was delivered in 2018 to Azerbaijan Airlines and is registered in Denmark and flies at 2,515ft.

Mr Johnson was subjected to a bumpy ride as he flew to Teesside airport mid-morning.

The windy conditions could be felt by those on the plane, particularly ahead of landing.

As he got on board, Mr Johnson earlier joked about the "pungent aroma" of the fish, which was still present on everyone involved in the first visit to Grimsby.