Leaders fail to let the train take the strain despite good public transport links to their constituencies
By Bruce Whitehead

Scotland's two most prominent MPs, Gordon Brown and Alex Salmond, are failing to follow their own policies on climate change. Data released by the House of Commons for the first time shows that out of 59 MPs for Scottish constituencies at Westminster, the two leaders were among the top 10 worst offenders in choosing air travel over the much greener rail.

Aviation is the fastest-growing source of CO2 emissions, which cause damaging climate change. Although the main parties agree that we all need drastically to reduce CO2 emissions, the figures show that most MPs routinely ignore the chorus of environmental campaigners urging them to fly less.

Labour, which has the most MPs in Scotland, has urged travellers to reduce their reliance on airplanes and cars and to use public transport, which produces lower CO2 emissions per passenger. In its most recent air transport white paper, the government accepts that it must do more to reduce the environmental effects of aviation.

However, of 40 Labour MPs with Scottish seats at Westminster, all except four spent more on air travel than rail. Eric Joyce, whose Falkirk constituency has good rail links, spent the most, at £22,689 and spent eight times more on air travel than he paid for rail.

The findings are all the more disappointing in the light of a recent study by TransForm Scotland, which found that overall, rail offers a better transport choice for travel to and from London. They found rail was 20% more punctual and offered greater productivity for business travellers.

But Joyce isn't the worst offender - that honour goes to the speaker, Michael Martin, who uses only air to Westminster. Second-worst is the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who spent 51 times more on air travel than rail. He claimed only £188 for train travel, against £9557 by air. Their constituencies are in the more accessible central belt of Scotland. The Liberal Democrat MP John Thurso, in distant Caithness, managed to give up some flights - he used rail about one-fifth of the time.

Scotland's first minister, though, sets the worst example of all, given his party's environmental policy. Alex Salmond, who also represents Banff and Buchan at Westminster, promised an "ambitious programme to tackle climate change" in his government's budget last November. But the SNP leader claimed 10 times more for air travel than he spent on rail. And SNP policy is to allow continued expansion of Scotland's airports.

Dan Glass, the Scotland convener of anti-aviation campaign group Plane Stupid, said: "This is completely hypocritical. All parties should be focused on reverting to a sustainable transport infrastructure while we still have a window of opportunity."

Rank and file members are guilty of double standards too: of the 34 Scottish MPs who signed a Commons motion calling for aviation CO2 targets, 23 spent more than five times as much on air travel as they did on trains.

Another environment group, the Aviation and Environment Federation, says it wants incremental change as a spur to others. Board member Jeff Gazzard said MPs should start by cutting one in five of their flights: "Business travellers make up 15% of air passengers, so they have an opportunity to make a significant contribution to cutting CO2 emissions."

There are some well-intentioned MPs, such as Jim Devine, MP for Livingston, who has urged the public to "take the train instead of the plane". But he could only reduce his own expenditure on air travel to five times that spent on rail.

The figures do identify one saint: Russell Brown, MP for Dumfries and Galloway, who claimed nothing for air travel. Mr Brown's achievement, in relatively remote Dumfriesshire, will put pressure on colleagues who live near good rail links to do a lot better.

Meanwhile, aviation expansion continues apace in Scotland. The latest casualty is the Royal Highland Showground, which is being turfed out of its home at Edinburgh Airport to make way for a new aircraft holding section. If the plans go ahead, the number of aircraft flying over quiet Edinburgh suburbs such as Cramond, Barnton and Kirkliston will soar, along with increased CO2 emissions, damaging the climate even more.

There was no comment from Mr Salmond, or Gordon Brown. The Speaker's office said Michael Martin uses air "because he has to be in parliament when the House is sitting and in order to carry out his constituency work".

The House of Commons Information Office says there is a special BA tariff for parliamentary and government travel, which it claims saves the taxpayer money. It also started a scheme in 2007 to offset CO2 emissions from parliamentary air travel, with the proceeds going to a fund to reduce emissions in developing countries. This scheme is run by Defra.