Yes, it matters

Yesterday's stunning Guardian story about the conspiracy between the Department for Transport and aviation lobby group Flying Matters didn't get half the attention it deserved and to be honest I'm only just catching up with it. The Guardian has got hold of Flying Matters documents showing that:

Civil servants at the Department for Transport (DfT) asked a top aviation lobby group [Flying Matters] for help to win the parliamentary battle over keeping aircraft emissions out of key climate change legislation

This is one government department using outside lobbyists to undermine another department's bill, which is pretty outrageous. The lobbyists also offered help to the all party parliamentary aviation group, something it only partially denied:

Michelle di Leo denied the suggestion Flying Matters had offered funding. "We did not offer the All Party Parliamentary Aviation Group money. We offered to help them with their secretarial work, not set their agenda. Our role is to get attention for issues. Yes we generated headlines. That's what PR people do. They place stories."