Foreign Office staff take three domestic flights a day
New figures obtained by The Telegraph show civil servants in David Lammy's department took more than 1,000 flights within the UK in 2024-25, despite a bid to shift towards more 'sustainable travel options'.
The flights covered a distance of 708,551km, enough to fly to Sydney and back 20 times, and generated 114 tonnes of carbon.
The revelations have prompted questions about Labour's green credentials after it emerged that Angela Rayner's department amassed enough international air miles last year to jet around the world 13 times.
Climate commitments into question
The number of domestic flights taken by the Foreign Office in the year to April 2025 came in at 1,027, down from 1,739 in 2023-24 and 2,112 in 2022-23.
However, the distance covered was still more than the 514,785km that Ms Rayner's department racked up on international trips last year.
The Green Party said the figures called the Government's climate commitments into question and urged Labour to ban all domestic flights for official trips that can be easily taken by train.
'Setting an example'
Sian Berry, the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, said: 'Government departments should be setting an example and using trains whenever possible for domestic travel.
'Taking three domestic flights every day flies in the face of climate science and government ministers' commitments to taking the climate crisis seriously.
'This Labour Government should ban domestic flights for official trips that can be done by train in just a few hours – this has already happened in France.
'They must also urgently implement a 'frequent flyer levy' to disincentivise those who take the vast majority of flights. This is what taking the climate crisis seriously looks like.'
'By default'
The Telegraph obtained the number of domestic flights taken by the Foreign Office after the department published the distance travelled and carbon emissions produced in its annual report for 2024-25.
It set out the department's commitment to 'reducing the number of UK domestic flights and increasing sustainable travel options as operations embed hybrid working practices'.
'Our duty travel policy requires all staff travelling within the UK and between England and Eurostar destinations to travel by train by default,' it said.
'This policy and increased use of technology to collaborate without the necessity for travel will help the FCDO reduce emissions.'
The report confirmed that the Foreign Office has met Labour's target to reduce emissions from domestic flights by 30 per cent compared to 2017-18.
Carbon produced
However, the 114 tonnes of carbon produced in the year to April were still higher than the 92 tonnes emitted by Ms Rayner's Ministry of Housing.
The flight records for the Deputy Prime Minister's department caused a stir when they were published earlier this week, revealing a huge rise in air miles compared to the previous year.
In its annual report, the Ministry of Housing revealed that its staff took foreign flights totalling 514,785km in 2024-25, almost five times the 108,060km amassed in 2023-24.
The department blamed the rise partly on an increase in 'significant international conferences' attended by staff at Homes England, the housing quango.
It is unclear whether the 1,027 domestic flights taken by the Foreign Office last year accounted for separate plane trips or journeys by individuals who may have travelled on the same plane.
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