Taxpayers spent more than £800,000 on Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s trip to the United Nations climate summit in Brazil, according to newly released figures. A delegation of 73 officials from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero attended the two week conference, with flights costing £210,450 and a further £6,091 spent on carbon credits. The largest expense was £600,740 for private apartment rentals in the host city of Belém, alongside smaller hotel and miscellaneous costs, with some claims still outstanding.

The total is expected to rise as additional expenses are submitted. The published figures do not include the full cost of the United Kingdom’s overall presence at the summit, where more than 200 delegates from Britain were registered, including ministers, members of parliament and civil servants.

Critics said the spending was excessive and accused the government of hypocrisy amid rising energy costs at home. Supporters within the department argued the delegation was smaller than at previous summits and said attendance was essential to push for international commitments to move away from fossil fuels and strengthen energy security. The summit itself faced criticism after several major emitting nations did not attend and no clear agreement was reached on phasing out fossil fuels.