Sadiq Khan will make 12,000-mile round trip to Brazil to host climate change conference - after Paris trip this week and jaunt to Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa in the summer
The London mayor is set to make a trip to Rio in November for the 2025 C40 World Mayors Summit, due to take place at COP 30.
He is co-chair of C40, a network of almost 100 city mayors from across the world trying to reduce global warming and halve emissions by 2030.
Sir Sadiq has already made more than 20 foreign trips in the nine years that he's been mayor since 2016 - including a trip to Paris last week to meet other mayors from the group.
He is also due to visit Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa this summer after announcing last December that he would become the first London Mayor to lead a trade delegation to Africa.
The cost of the Brazil trip is being paid for by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg's charity, Bloomberg Philanthropies, which also contributed funding to the eco organisation.
But Thomas Turrell, environment spokesman for the City Hall Conservatives, criticised Sir Sadiq's jet-setting jollies.
He said: 'Assembly business here in London will be delayed and clogged up as the mayor chooses his international soirees over the job Londoners elected him to do.
'The contempt this man has for the London Assembly, and for the voters who put him there, should be enough to make him think long and hard whilst he waits to land somewhere else overseas.'
Mr Turrell pointed out Sir Sadiq hypocrisy as he 'lectures' the public, about the 'evils' of emissions while taking extravagant long-haul flights.
And Tory assembly member Neil Garratt told The Standard: 'Nothing says climate leadership like burning thousands of gallons of jet fuel to give a speech about reducing emissions. Yet here in London, Khan's own climate change plan lies in tatters.'
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: 'The Mayor will attend the C40 World Mayors Summit to lead critical conversations on the direct action that London and other major global cities can take to help tackle the climate crisis while creating millions of new green jobs.
'The Mayor reduces flights wherever possible, but as there's no reasonable alternative for this journey, the maximum amount of Sustainable Aviation fuel (SAF) will be contributed for his flight to reduce emissions.
'His travel and all other costs of attending the summit will be paid by C40 and not with taxpayers' money.'
The globe-trotter has also visited India, Pakistan, the USA, Canada, and mainland Europe in his time as mayor. Last year he travelled to the Vatican to meet the late Pope Francis.
Since February 2024, he has attended the opening of the Paris Olympics and visited New York - his fourth trip to the US as Mayor.
Meanwhile his predecessor Boris Johnson made 37 international visits (34 by plane) over two terms.
Last night the mayor jollied at the Serpentine Summer Party in Kensington Gardens, where he was joined by Mr Bloomberg and A-listers Kate Blanchet and Lily Allen.
The move comes as City Hall and Bloomberg Philanthropies announced yesterday a £2.8million expansion of the Breathe London scheme of installing air quality monitors across the city to assess pollution levels.
Sir Sadiq said: 'The C40 World Mayors Summit in Rio de Janeiro will be a defining moment for city-led climate leadership on the road to COP30.
'Cities are already delivering practical, urgent solutions to the climate crisis: cutting emissions, creating green jobs and improving the lives of our residents.
'In this pivotal year, I'm proud to convene a summit that will champion city leadership and send a clear message: that in the face of growing climate denial and delay, mayors are stepping up.'
Mr Bloomberg, the UN special envoy on climate ambition, said: 'The C40 World Mayors Summit in Rio will spotlight the progress cities are making and help ensure their voices are heard at COP30.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
10 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Israel not listening to UK, say MPs, as they urge recognition of Palestine
The UK's actions over the ongoing conflict and 'in the years preceding, have often been too little, too late,' the Foreign Affairs Committee has said, as they called for further sanctions 'against settlers'. The Prime Minister is facing increasing pressure to fulfil Labour's promise to recognise Palestine as the conflict continues. Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan is among those who have called for the move. A 'majority' of MPs on the committee have also backed it, according to the chairwoman, Dame Emily Thornberry. 'The UK's actions in this conflict, and in the years preceding, have often been too little too late,' the committee said. In their report the MPs said that 'some of Israel's recent actions in Gaza are difficult to justify given the death toll among civilians' and pressure should be put on Tel Aviv 'for this conflict to end and for hostages to be released'. 'It seems that the Israeli government is not listening to the UK. And while it listens to the US government, it only does so sporadically,' they said. 'If Israel does not listen to its friends and allies, and only sporadically to the US, then pressure must be exerted for this conflict to end and hostages to be released.' Chairwoman of the committee Dame Emily Thornberry has said that the Government 'must not shrug our shoulders in despair and say that there is nothing we can do'. She called on minsters to 'immediately extend sanctions against settlers' and said that the UK 'must also play our part in evidence collection, which will be vital to the inevitable legal reckoning when this conflict finally comes to an end'. She said that the UK 'must be realistic about our role' and 'our greatest power is in our alliances'. 'Whether that is persuading the US to have an influence on Israel to come to a ceasefire, or with nations in the region whose support will be vital to a long-term two-state solution.' She added: 'It is the view of the majority of the committee that the UK Government should immediately recognise the state of Palestine, signalling the UK's desire to work urgently towards a two-state solution alongside our allies.' It comes as there are increasing warnings of starvation in Gaza. On Thursday the BBC joined other news organisations in saying that they are 'deeply alarmed' that journalists are facing 'the threat of starvation'. Sir Keir Starmer said ahead of an emergency call about Gaza with French and German leaders on Friday that while the situation there has been 'grave' for some time, it has 'reached new depths'. But he stuck to his previous stance that a ceasefire should come before the UK recognises statehood. 'A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis,' he said. French president Emmanuel Macron pressed for recognition of Palestinian statehood in a recent address to the UK's Parliament, saying it was the 'only path to peace'. On Thursday, Mr Macron said France would recognise Palestine in a move he plans to formalise at the UN General Assembly in September. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said earlier that such a move would have to be meaningful and come as part of a 'genuine move towards a two-state solution and a long-term peace settlement' with Israel. Mr Reynolds told LBC Radio: 'We are deeply committed to the recognition of Palestine as a state, which was part of our manifesto, but obviously we want that to be meaningful.
Glasgow Times
12 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Israel not listening to UK, say MPs, as they urge recognition of Palestine
The UK's actions over the ongoing conflict and 'in the years preceding, have often been too little, too late,' the Foreign Affairs Committee has said, as they called for further sanctions 'against settlers'. The Prime Minister is facing increasing pressure to fulfil Labour's promise to recognise Palestine as the conflict continues. Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan is among those who have called for the move. A 'majority' of MPs on the committee have also backed it, according to the chairwoman, Dame Emily Thornberry. 'The UK's actions in this conflict, and in the years preceding, have often been too little too late,' the committee said. In their report the MPs said that 'some of Israel's recent actions in Gaza are difficult to justify given the death toll among civilians' and pressure should be put on Tel Aviv 'for this conflict to end and for hostages to be released'. 'It seems that the Israeli government is not listening to the UK. And while it listens to the US government, it only does so sporadically,' they said. 'If Israel does not listen to its friends and allies, and only sporadically to the US, then pressure must be exerted for this conflict to end and hostages to be released.' Chairwoman of the committee Dame Emily Thornberry has said that the Government 'must not shrug our shoulders in despair and say that there is nothing we can do'. She called on minsters to 'immediately extend sanctions against settlers' and said that the UK 'must also play our part in evidence collection, which will be vital to the inevitable legal reckoning when this conflict finally comes to an end'. She said that the UK 'must be realistic about our role' and 'our greatest power is in our alliances'. 'Whether that is persuading the US to have an influence on Israel to come to a ceasefire, or with nations in the region whose support will be vital to a long-term two-state solution.' She added: 'It is the view of the majority of the committee that the UK Government should immediately recognise the state of Palestine, signalling the UK's desire to work urgently towards a two-state solution alongside our allies.' It comes as there are increasing warnings of starvation in Gaza. On Thursday the BBC joined other news organisations in saying that they are 'deeply alarmed' that journalists are facing 'the threat of starvation'. Sir Keir Starmer said ahead of an emergency call about Gaza with French and German leaders on Friday that while the situation there has been 'grave' for some time, it has 'reached new depths'. But he stuck to his previous stance that a ceasefire should come before the UK recognises statehood. 'A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis,' he said. French president Emmanuel Macron pressed for recognition of Palestinian statehood in a recent address to the UK's Parliament, saying it was the 'only path to peace'. On Thursday, Mr Macron said France would recognise Palestine in a move he plans to formalise at the UN General Assembly in September. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said earlier that such a move would have to be meaningful and come as part of a 'genuine move towards a two-state solution and a long-term peace settlement' with Israel. Mr Reynolds told LBC Radio: 'We are deeply committed to the recognition of Palestine as a state, which was part of our manifesto, but obviously we want that to be meaningful.
Leader Live
12 hours ago
- Leader Live
Israel not listening to UK, say MPs, as they urge recognition of Palestine
The UK's actions over the ongoing conflict and 'in the years preceding, have often been too little, too late,' the Foreign Affairs Committee has said, as they called for further sanctions 'against settlers'. The Prime Minister is facing increasing pressure to fulfil Labour's promise to recognise Palestine as the conflict continues. Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan is among those who have called for the move. A 'majority' of MPs on the committee have also backed it, according to the chairwoman, Dame Emily Thornberry. 'The UK's actions in this conflict, and in the years preceding, have often been too little too late,' the committee said. In their report the MPs said that 'some of Israel's recent actions in Gaza are difficult to justify given the death toll among civilians' and pressure should be put on Tel Aviv 'for this conflict to end and for hostages to be released'. 'It seems that the Israeli government is not listening to the UK. And while it listens to the US government, it only does so sporadically,' they said. 'If Israel does not listen to its friends and allies, and only sporadically to the US, then pressure must be exerted for this conflict to end and hostages to be released.' Chairwoman of the committee Dame Emily Thornberry has said that the Government 'must not shrug our shoulders in despair and say that there is nothing we can do'. She called on minsters to 'immediately extend sanctions against settlers' and said that the UK 'must also play our part in evidence collection, which will be vital to the inevitable legal reckoning when this conflict finally comes to an end'. She said that the UK 'must be realistic about our role' and 'our greatest power is in our alliances'. 'Whether that is persuading the US to have an influence on Israel to come to a ceasefire, or with nations in the region whose support will be vital to a long-term two-state solution.' She added: 'It is the view of the majority of the committee that the UK Government should immediately recognise the state of Palestine, signalling the UK's desire to work urgently towards a two-state solution alongside our allies.' It comes as there are increasing warnings of starvation in Gaza. On Thursday the BBC joined other news organisations in saying that they are 'deeply alarmed' that journalists are facing 'the threat of starvation'. Sir Keir Starmer said ahead of an emergency call about Gaza with French and German leaders on Friday that while the situation there has been 'grave' for some time, it has 'reached new depths'. But he stuck to his previous stance that a ceasefire should come before the UK recognises statehood. 'A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis,' he said. French president Emmanuel Macron pressed for recognition of Palestinian statehood in a recent address to the UK's Parliament, saying it was the 'only path to peace'. On Thursday, Mr Macron said France would recognise Palestine in a move he plans to formalise at the UN General Assembly in September. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said earlier that such a move would have to be meaningful and come as part of a 'genuine move towards a two-state solution and a long-term peace settlement' with Israel. Mr Reynolds told LBC Radio: 'We are deeply committed to the recognition of Palestine as a state, which was part of our manifesto, but obviously we want that to be meaningful.
