CLIMATE campaigners warned the government not to hand unlawful bailouts to airlines today, calling for funding to go to protecting people and the planet rather than billionaire tax exiles.

Lawyers representing climate action charity Possible wrote to Chancellor Rishi Sunak asking for assurances that any bailout of the aviation industry will have conditions to ensure there are meaningful emissions cuts from planes.

Leigh Day warned Mr Sunak that a failure to attach a carbon-cutting condition to fundings would be unlawful as it would not be in line with Britain’s legal goals to cut greenhouse gases.

Such a bailout would also fail to take into account the government’s international commitments to tackle climate change under the Paris Agreement, it warned.

A spokesman for Possible said: “Right now, the government has a choice. They can choose to give billionaire tax exiles like Richard Branson a free ride or to protect people and the planet and ensure the UK builds back better.”

The spokesman warned of a need to build a low-carbon transport system that “works for everyone, not just for a small minority of wealthy frequent flyers and the airline bosses cashing in on the damage flying does to our climate.”

It came before Mr Branson’s Virgin Atlantic announced that it was making more than 3,000 employers redundant and will end operations at Gatwick airport.

Pilots’ union Balpa described the move as “devastating” and said that it will be challenging the company on its decision.

It is expected that the government is preparing to bail out the airline industry, which has been hit by a massive downturn due to the coronavirus.

Just 7 per cent of people think that the airline industry should be prioritised by the government for financial support, polling for Greenpeace suggests.