The Solar forgets its proprietor’s style for luxurious journey in dig at Rachel Reeves’ enterprise class flight to US

In per week dominated by but extra Tory sleaze and scandals, the right-wing media will need to have been determined to dish some grime on the shadow cupboard. Certain sufficient, The Solar got here up with the products, taking goal at Rachel Reeves’ journey to the US in enterprise class.

The Murdoch-owned newspaper didn’t maintain again in reporting that the Shadow Chancellor had been accused of hypocrisy for ‘taking the luxury seat whereas attacking Rishi Sunak and the federal government for luxurious journey.’ Reeves knowledgeable the newspaper that no taxpayer cash was used to fund the journey, and {that a} donor paid for it. 

This in itself contrasts to the Prime Minister’s luxurious journey which has been funded by the taxpayer. In March, Sunak determined to journey to Southampton and again to London by air moderately than by automotive or practice. The PM’s official spokesman confirmed that the helicopter journey was funded by the taxpayer.  Even the Solar needed to reference the criticism the Prime Minister got here below for the taxpayer-funded helicopter flight to Southampton.

However maybe even larger hypocrisy made on The Solar’s behalf is the truth that the newspaper’s proprietor – who has a fortune price $8 billion – is the grasp of luxurious journey.  The media mogul’s $84 million non-public jet is described because the ‘epitome of luxury air travel.’ The G650 is the biggest purpose-built non-public jet available on the market. It additionally boasts the longest, tallest, and most costly cabin in its class. Murdoch’s non-public jet can attain 41,000 ft in simply 22 seconds and cruise at 956km/h, and has not one however two Rolls-Royce engines.

Earlier this yr, it was revealed that the Murdoch household had the second largest non-public jet carbon footprint on the planet. Data by ClimateJets, which investigates the disparity between carbon emissions of the ultra-rich and common People, discovered that in 2022, the Murdochs took 369 flights in 4 plane, equating to 4,357.25 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide. The common American emits 15.52 tonnes of carbon dioxide yearly, to place it into perspective. Thomas Siebel, the billionaire founding father of Siebel Programs, topped the listing, emitting 4,649.75 metric tonnes of CO2 in the identical yr.  

In keeping with Oxfam, billionaires like Rupert Murdoch, are chargeable for one million instances extra greenhouse fuel emissions than the typical individual. Analysis by the charity discovered that simply 125 billionaires emit 393 million tonnes of CO2 yearly, the equal of 85 million vehicles.

Naturally, in its determined try and smear the opposition, The Solar didn’t dwell on its proprietor’s costly style in journey.

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Ahead

Picture credit score: Rupert Murdoch’s non-public jet: YouTube display screen seize

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