Corbyn uses toxin-pumping diesel car while he preaches about air pollution
The Ford Galaxy waited on a double yellow line outside his north London home for 40 minutes on Tuesday before making the six-mile journey to Westminster. Mr Corbyn lives in Islington and is also the Labour MP for Islington North. Last week Islington Borough Council, along with neighbouring Hackney, proposed a ban on diesel cars with drivers flouting the air pollution crackdown facing £130 fines. Despite styling himself as an eco warrior, complaining that air pollution is “killing children”, the DVLA database reveals Mr Corbyn’s mode of transport emits a hefty 189g of carbon dioxide, putting it in the fourth highest vehicle tax band. The 2.2 litre engine can only manage 36mpg on average, the same as a 17-seat Ford Transit minibus.
It’s clear Mr Corbyn is one of the few not the many whom he lectures Andrew Bridgen
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen last night accused Mr Corbyn of “breathtaking hypocrisy”. “He’s like one of the old Soviet leaders, riding around in his Zil while the rest of his comrades are on bicycles,” he said. “Once again it’s a case of do as I say, not as I do. It’s clear Mr Corbyn is one of the few not the many whom he lectures.” The shiny five-door silver car arrived at the Left-wing Labour leader’s three-bedroom terrace home just before 9am on January 30 but the populist politician left the driver waiting for 40 minutes on double yellow lines. A traffic warden in a high-visibility vest approached but immediately appeared to recognise the car and did not issue a ticket. Mr Corbyn emerged from his home just after 9.32am, placed his bag in the back and walked off to the shops while the car remained parked on double yellow lines before returning five minutes later.
CAMILLA TOMINEY Mr Corbyn preaches about air pollution but uses a toxin-pumping diesel car
DVLA records reveal the licence number, which we are not disclosing for security reasons, belongs to a Titanium Tcdi Auto which falls into the J tax band, costing £280 a year. The grace and favour car is sufficiently polluting to qualify for Labour London mayor Sadiq Khan’s Ultra Low Emission Zone charge from April 2019, when diesel vehicles which do not meet Euro 6 standards will be charged £24 to drive into central London. A keen cyclist who does not own a car, Mr Corbyn was offered a chauffeur-driven car by the Government Car Service when he became Leader of the Opposition in 2015. In a TV interview during the leadership contest he refused to say whether he would take up the perk, fearful it would appear to contradict his anti-austerity “man of the people” persona. It is understood he was advised to give up his bike for security reasons and accept the official driver, even though he lives less than half a mile from a Tube station and could commute to Westminster on the Underground in 30 minutes.
CAMILLA TOMINEY Mr Corbyn lives in Islington and is also the Labour MP for Islington North
Driving during rush hour can take up to one hour and five minutes and incurs a £12.50 congestion charge. Alternatively he could catch a bus from his road straight to Trafalgar Square, which is just a mile from his parliamentary office. Former Tory MP Andrew Percy criticised the move at the time, saying: “Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters on Twitter are trolling people about privilege but at the first sniff of a perk, Jeremy Corbyn succumbs to a taxpayer-funded car. He should do what the rest of us do – get a standard rail ticket or walk.” Mr Corbyn, 68, courted controversy in 2016 when he claimed he had been forced to sit on the floor of a “ram-packed” Virgin Train, posting a video of his plight on the London to Newcastle upon Tyne journey. The rail operator disputed the claim and released CCTV footage of Mr Corbyn walking past free seats beforehand.
PARLIAMENT TV Jeremy Corbyn has frequently commented on air pollution
The self-styled environmentalist, who was applauded last year in the Greenpeace area at Glastonbury Festival, has frequently commented on air pollution, tweeting last April: “Air pollution is now so bad our children are suffering while the Tories just run our country down.” Mr Corbyn said at the time that there were “terrible levels” of air pollution in certain parts of the country which had to be “dealt with”. He suggested there needed to be a policy on the “phasing-out of diesel” but it would have to be done in a way that ensured “you don’t punish people”. Labour has vowed to bring in a new Clean Air Act, including a network of “clean air zones” if it is elected. On National Clean Air Day last June, Mr Corbyn tweeted: “Labour reaffirms commitment to tackling illegal air quality.”
Jeremy Corbyn at Glastonbury Mon, June 26, 2017 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn spoke to vast crowds from the Pyramid stage and the Left Field stage at the 2017 Glastonbury Festival Play slideshow PA 1 of 15 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in the Greenpeace area at Glastonbury Festival