War of words over airport expansion (From Thurrock Gazette)

War of words over airport expansion

9:02pm Monday 12th January 2009

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Opponents to the creation of a third runway at Heathrow are fighting a furious war of words with supporters of expansion at the west London airport.

The Government was expected to give the go-ahead to the £9 billion expansion package later this week despite opposition from some Labour MPs, including some Cabinet ministers.

However, Gordon Brown raised the prospect of a delay to the decision when he agreed to a meeting with Labour backbenchers to discuss their concerns.

A spokesman for the premier confirmed he had told the Parliamentary Labour Party he would be "happy" to hold talks with a group of MPs opposed to the runway. No date has been set.

Leaders of airlines, big business and unions say the expansion is vital for the future of the UK economy. Opponents including the Conservatives, Tory London Mayor Boris Johnson and "green" groups believe there is no environmental or economic case for a new runway.

While the business leaders, members of the Future Heathrow group, stressed at a media conference in London that a new runway could create 65,000 new jobs, Mr Johnson said he would challenge in the courts any decision to give expansion the green light.

The Unite and GMB unions both expressed their support for Heathrow expansion, with Unite assistant general secretary Paul Talbot saying the runway work could create 50,000 new jobs and there could be another 15,000 positions once the project was completed.

Mr Johnson claimed that a legal challenge to expansion would be "supported by the overwhelming majority". He added that the extra runway faced "all kinds of quite insuperable battles" - including emissions, congestion and noise pollution - which the Government had no answer to.

Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers said it was time Labour dropped "their misguided and unpopular plans for a third runway at Heathrow" while Liberal Democrat MP Susan Kramer said Heathrow expansion would be "a disaster for west London and a disaster for the climate".

The Society of British Aerospace Companies said Heathrow expansion was "the right decision to take for the benefit of the country", but Friends of the Earth countered by claiming the economic case for expansion was "biased and fundamentally flawed".

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