Andy Burnham reveals 2038 carbon target for Greater Manchester

Plans for airport expansion and new roads lead to mayor being accused of 'empty rhetoric'

The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has pledged to make the region carbon neutral by 2038,more than a decade earlier than the target date adopted by the European commission, at the unveiling of a new industrial strategy.

But Burnham was quickly accused of peddling "empty rhetoric" because of the regional authorities' majority stake in Manchester airport, which aims to double passenger numbers over the next 20 years, and plans to spend 6bn on new roads.