Back Britain and not Branson as airlines like Virgin demand public bailouts

From: June Graham, Huddersfield Local Greenpeace Co-ordinator, Rosemount, Huddersfield.
Should tycoon Sir Richard Branson's airline be bailed out by taxpayers?Should tycoon Sir Richard Branson's airline be bailed out by taxpayers?
Should tycoon Sir Richard Branson's airline be bailed out by taxpayers?

IN the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the aviation industry is lobbying hard for public bailouts.

Greenpeace Huddersfield Local Group, alongside climate action charity Possible, is calling for any state support for airlines to include conditions to:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Protect workers so there are no pay cuts or lay-offs due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Should airlinesl ike Virgin be bailed out by taxpayers?Should airlinesl ike Virgin be bailed out by taxpayers?
Should airlinesl ike Virgin be bailed out by taxpayers?

Protect the climate – the airlines need to start cutting their emissions to meet the globally agreed climate targets, without relying on carbon offsetting.

Ensure airlines pay their fair share of taxes in the future, for example by introducing a Frequent Flyer Levy so that those who fly the most, pay the most.

In the Huddersfield local area, the fewer planes going overhead and the cleaner air is a good reminder of how much more peaceful and pleasant the world could be if we reduce the amount we fly.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, a return to ‘business as usual’ could wipe out hopes of this way of living in a matter of weeks.

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin business empire previously ran a number of UK rail franchises.Sir Richard Branson's Virgin business empire previously ran a number of UK rail franchises.
Sir Richard Branson's Virgin business empire previously ran a number of UK rail franchises.

Virgin Atlantic owner 
Richard Branson is worth a reported £4.2bn – and yet he’s asking the Government for £500m, his staff to take unpaid leave and 3,000 to lose their jobs.

A few weeks ago, EasyJet distributed £174m to shareholders, and is now also asking staff to take unpaid leave.

What’s more, aviation is virtually the only sector which refuses to reduce its overall emissions, and its plans for continuing growth jeopardise the UK’s ability to meet our climate commitments.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Last week, we saw that French finance minister Bruno Le Maire announce that the €7bn offer package of state loans and bank loans to the French airlines was a “not a blank cheque” and stressed that enhanced sustainability policies would be linked to it.

Greenpeace Huddersfield calls on our local MPs Jason McCartney and Barry Sheerman to write to the Chancellor, and call for these conditions to be attached to any bailouts to the airlines to help protect the environment.

Right now, people are understandably doing everything they can to protect each other and support NHS and other workers on the frontline.

But once we’re through, 
the climate and nature emergencies will remain. Let’s make sure that the Government’s response to this awful health crisis also helps to create green jobs, and decarbonise our economy.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.