𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Andy Burnham’s new Energy Secretary previously pushed for green taxes to be slapped on plane tickets. Miatta Fahnbulleh, who has taken over from Ed Miliband, called for levies for frequent flyers when she was chief executive of the New Economics Foundation think tank.

In 2021, the think tank proposed adding a charge to tickets, with the amount increasing each time a flight is taken in a year. Tory Shadow Transport Secretary Richard Holden warned that families are already paying some of the highest flight taxes in the world “just to get away for a well-earned break”.

He told The Telegraph: “But Andy Burnham’s pick as Labour’s Energy Secretary wants to pile another tax on top.

He claimed that any new taxes on air travel represented a punishment for “anyone who dares to fly for a holiday”.

The Frequent Flyer Levy suggested by the think tank would replace the current Air Passenger Duty system.

Under the proposals by the think tank, which Ms Fahnbulleh left in 2024, passengers would not be charged for their first leisure flight of the year.

But the second flight would have an extra charge of £25, and third £60, the fourth £105 and the fifth £160.

This would increase to an eye-watering £585 for the tenth flight taken in a year.

The costs would be even higher for people travelling for business, with no exemption for the first flight, which would be hit with a £25 charge.

Last year, the think tank proposed a new charge applying to people flying six times or more in a one-year period.

A Government spokesman said that the proposals are “not Government policy”.

They added: “We’ve cut VAT on electricity to give families breathing space. The Energy Secretary’s focus is working to bring bills down for good.”