Theresa Villiers vows to stop third runway at Heathrow

It appears that Gordon Brown has avoided a Cabinet rebellion on his go ahead for a third runway (R3) at Heathrow by requiring airlines that will use it to be only the newest and least polluting aircraft.

Speaking on the Today programme (listen again here), Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers said those requirements are worthless.  She told Radio 4 listeners that Labour had made many promises before that have not been kept.  She noted a promise by Stephen Byers a few years ago to limit flights to 480,000 a year but for that promise to be broken within a year.  She also noted that the Government was seeking derogations from EU laws on air quality.  Ms Villiers vowed that a Conservative government "absolutely will cancel these plans" and had the capacity to do so because there was "no chance of the planning process being completed" by the time of the next General Election.

Theresa Villiers' position is strongly supported by London Mayor Boris Johnson but it is said that there is strong opposition within the shadow cabinet and from backbenchers including Graham Brady, John Redwood, David Wilshire and Ian Taylor.  Mr Taylor wrote the following recently:

"For both good and ill, Heathrow will continue to be the major British airport. Presently Heathrow's runways are full and the consequences of this include delays, failed connections and missing bags. Furthermore if ground capacity for landing and take-off is not improved, the nuisance from over-flying because of 'stacking' will get worse (and stacked aircraft are certainly not environmentally friendly). One issue which requires further investigation is how to improve surface access to Heathrow by road and rail. The bus links from Reading and Woking are important but more strategic planning is needed. Meeting the environmental challenge requires sensible strategies as opposed to transient tactics. Decisions should be guided, but not blinded, by environmental conscience."

> On Platform today Nick Cuff makes the case for expanding airports other than Heathrow.
> Iain Dale backs R3

12.30pm: Speaking on Radio Two's Jeremy Vine show Boris Johnson predicted that the legal and environmental objections to a third runway would be "insurmountable".  He dismissed the Government's decision as "pointless political machismo" engineered by Peter Mandelson.  Heathrow was a planning error from the 1940s and it was wrong to expand upon that failure.  He discussed the possibilities of expanding other airports on London's perimeter including Manston but also building a new airport in the Thames Estuary.  He challenged Gordon Brown to debate the issue with him.

Comments

[Man in a Shed]

Theresa Villiers has painted us, and even more so herself, into a corner on this one.

This matters as R3 is needed, and Heathrow is the beating heart of one of the most important areas of the country.

[onnalee]

I thought Theresa was excellent on the Today Programme this morning. I liked her straight answers and her references to specific and relevant broken promises of this Government.

Everytime a Conservative is on air they should make references to the ineptitude of this Government with specific examples and hard data relevant to such discussions. The media will not do it for us. The media will not hold them to account. We have to continue to remind the public of their gross incompetence and dishonesty.

For example, when the Conservatives next talk about how disgraceful it is that Brown ruined the most successful private pension positions in the West by raiding the pot by £5bn p.a. I want to hear not only criticism of such actions but also a promise to repeal such a ruinous tax.

[smallbluething]

If we're going to return to economic growth and create jobs we will need an international hub airport. Surely ruling out all growth of aviation in the South East is economic madness?

[Forlornehope]

A high speed mag-lev running between Heathrow and Gatwick would allow the two to be run as one airport. The increased flexibility would eliminate, or at least postpone, the need for new runways at either.

[Edward Huxley]

Not a fan of hers but she is dead right. Same applies to the Airtrack rail link to the south west of Heathrow which could close local level cossings for up to 45 minutes every hour from 5am to midnight! Tunnels and bridges have been ruled out.

We don`t want them, don`t need them and can`t afford them.

A certain vote winner here for the Tories.

[RichardJ]

This is not the result of the free market but of government intervention. Free markets don't involve forcing people to sell their land or funding large projects with large sums of confiscated money (taxation). If we want another terminal it should be funded privately and the funders should be prepared to pay people more to part with their land. After all, if this is going to bring in so much money then the funders should easily be able to recoup their initial losses.

Shockingly enough not everyone opposed to these proposals is a member of the Green lobby.

[Peter]

I don't know the detailed arguments but to rule out expansion of our airport sounds batty to me. Also it will damage the government's 'green credentials' and exceed EU air pollution regs, so it can't be all bad.