THE Budget announcement to cut flight taxes must surely be the final nail in the coffin for any hope of a breakthrough at the UK’s flagship COP26.

Firstly the UK COP26 Minister Alok Sharma travelled to more than 30 countries while making arrangements for the conference.

READ MORE: Air passenger duty cut 'wrong' ahead of COP26, Nicola Sturgeon tells Rishi Sunak

A matter of weeks before the conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson demonstrated the true level of his government’s commitment by approving a new coal mine in Cumbria.

Everyone expected Chancellor Rishi Sunak to make a strong gesture on the eve of conference, but raising two fingers by halving flight taxes on carbon-generating short-haul UK flights was not what was expected.

John Jamieson
South Queensferry

SO much for saving the planet. Surely cutting air passenger duty on internal flights where there are already lower-carbon alternatives like rail is not sending the right message just prior to COP26.

Alan Thompson
via thenational.scot