Taxpayers Fund £800,000 COP30 Trip for Miliband and 73-Strong Team
Newly released figures have exposed that British taxpayers spent more than £800,000 on Energy Secretary Ed Miliband's delegation to the United Nations climate summit COP30 in Brazil last autumn. The substantial expenditure has ignited controversy amid ongoing concerns about energy costs and government spending.
Breakdown of the Staggering Costs
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero sent 73 delegates to the two-week conference in Belém, with their plane travel alone costing the public purse £210,450. An additional £6,091 was spent on carbon credits to offset the emissions generated by these flights.
Accommodation expenses proved particularly eye-watering, with the delegation spending £600,740 renting private apartments during their stay. This extraordinary sum resulted from price hikes in the host city, forcing officials to seek alternative lodging beyond traditional hotel rooms, on which they still spent £1,660.
Another £28,025 was allocated for miscellaneous expenses, though the total cost continues to climb as thirteen delegates have yet to submit their claims. The complete financial burden of the UK's participation remains unclear, with the official UN register showing over 200 British delegates registered for the event.
Controversial Context and Political Backlash
The revelation comes at a sensitive time for the government, with Mr Miliband facing criticism for refusing to permit new North Sea oil and gas drilling despite Britain's soaring energy costs, exacerbated by Middle East conflicts. Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho condemned what she called "the hypocrisy of the Net Zero cult," accusing Miliband of "racking up huge bills flying around the world to lecture us all about climate change" while implementing flight taxes that increase family holiday costs.
Callum McGoldrick, investigations campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance who obtained the figures through Freedom of Information requests, expressed outrage: "Hard-pressed taxpayers will be utterly furious to see a whole brigade of bureaucrats flown to Brazil at their expense. Forking out more than £600,000 just to put them up in private apartments is a staggering waste of public money."
Summit Outcomes and Ministerial Activities
COP30 itself faced criticism as leaders from three of the world's largest emitters—the United States, China, and India—boycotted the event, and the final agreement omitted any commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Mr Miliband later admitted that "Britain wanted more from this COP," including a concrete roadmap for transitioning to renewable energy, but acknowledged that "this didn't happen because some countries would not agree." He described the Amazon rainforest summit experience as "sweaty, maddening, sleepless."
During the conference, Mr Miliband was spotted dining at a luxury restaurant atop Belém's five-star Tivoli hotel, and he made two separate trips to Brazil—at both the beginning and end of the summit. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his Downing Street team also undertook a whistlestop visit, though those costs remain unpublished.
Government Defense and Delegation Composition
A spokesman for Miliband's department defended the expenditure, stating: "The UK delegation at COP30 was crucial in driving forward a historic roadmap with 80+ countries to transition away from fossil fuels, boosting energy and climate security for the British people. We make no apologies for ministers and officials travelling around the country and abroad, fighting for investment, jobs, energy security and action on the climate crisis for Britain."
Government sources emphasized that the UK took a smaller delegation to Brazil than to previous COP summits to reduce spending, and secured private sponsorship to cover the UK pavilion and Delegation Office costs. The delegation included junior minister Katie White, environment minister Mary Creagh, and numerous MPs such as Foreign Affairs Committee chair Dame Emily Thornberry, former development minister Anneliese Dodds, and Environmental Audit Committee chairman Toby Perkins.
Also present was UK Special Representative for Climate Rachel Kyte, who joined Miliband for dinners during the summit. It was previously revealed that she had taken more than a dozen flights—mostly business class—since her appointment, despite admitting her carbon footprint caused "deep discomfort."
Since taking office, net zero department ministers have flown the equivalent of more than six times around the world, with Mr Miliband personally accumulating over 50,000 air miles across nine trips. These revelations compound concerns about the environmental and financial costs of the government's climate diplomacy efforts.
