Third runway at Heathrow is ‘undeliverable’ says Boris Johnson as expansion is given green light by PM
THERESA May yesterday ended 20 years of delays and gave the go-ahead for a third Heathrow runway — with Boris Johnson leading Tory fury by branding it “undeliverable”.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling hailed the decision to opt for the West London airport over Gatwick “truly momentous”.
The Foreign Secretary has opened up a bitter Tory war after the long-awaited and controversial decision on airport expansion was taken this morning.
But a series of senior Tories refused to back the move which overturns almost a decade of party policy opposing Heathrow expansion.
Last night furious millionaire MP Zac Goldsmith dramatically resigned as an MP for nearby Richmond Park, triggering a by-election which he vowed to fight as an independent.
And the PM was forced to allow two senior Cabinet ministers to speak out against her decision to stop them walking out too.
Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson, who fought the move for eight years as London Mayor, hit out along with Education Secretary Justine Greening, MP for Putney in South West London.
The Heathrow option was recommended two years ago by an independent commission, and the PM said her ruling showed the Government “will take the big decisions when they’re right for Britain”.
Mrs May added: “This decision demonstrates that as we leave the EU we can make a success of Brexit and Britain can be that open, global, successful country we all want it to be”.
WINNERS
❶ EXPERTS say expansion will create up to 179,800 jobs across the UK by 2050.
❷ ECONOMIC benefits for the whole of Britain are estimated to be worth up to £211billion.
❸ A BIGGER Heathrow could provide 740,000 flights a year — putting it on an equal footing with Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam.
❹ TWO new terminals would allow connection times to be cut from 75 minutes to an hour.
❺ CARGO facilities could double, benefiting British businesses. Rail capacity could treble — and better bus and coach connections would mean faster public transport links to Heathrow for travellers from the Midlands and West Country.
Yet Mr Grayling said a further public consultation will not begin until the New Year, followed by a Commons committee inquiry. So it could be 18 months until MPs are even asked to formally ratify Heathrow’s expansion, and the runway may not open until 2030.
The Government also faces High Court challenges from local campaigners as well as potentially one from Gatwick.
Former Heathrow opponent Mrs May herself faces hefty local flak, as her own Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council is spending £50,000 as one of four Tory lead councils trying to fight the plan.
LOSERS
❶ CAMPAIGNERS claim taxpayers will be asked to cough up £17billion to pay for the transport links needed to deal with the expansion.
❷ TENS of thousands of people in London and beyond will be living under the noisy new flightpaths.
❸ AT least 780 homes will need to be demolished to make way for the third runway.
❹ A CONGESTION charge to deal with the extra traffic on the M25 may need to be introduced.
❺ CAMPAIGNERS say the expansion would see Heathrow becoming the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide in the country.
A spokeswoman insisted the PM was acting “in the national interest” rather than for constituency concerns. But Mr Johnson claimed the scheme would very likely be stopped and “the day when the bulldozers appear is a long way off, if indeed they ever materialise”.
Heathrow’s third runway will be the first full-length one built in the South East since World War Two. In contrast, China has built 70 new airports in the last three years alone, and expanded 100 more.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said the move would not be enough on its own, and that it would be “naïve to draw the airport debate to a close”. It added: “Government should also consider building additional airport capacity outside of London and across the UK in order to meet future demands.
“Many regional airports are reaching operational capacity and if we are serious about the Midlands Engine, and Northern Powerhouse, we must allow the UK to reach its full potential.”
Mark Littlewood, of think-tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, warned the Cabinet was “putting all its eggs in one basket”. He said: “If Heathrow expansion falls at legal or Parliamentary hurdles we could see ourselves back to square one”.
In a sop to Boris and other bitter opponents, Mr Grayling said Heathrow’s night flight ban will be extended to six-and-a-half hours, and there will also be new legally binding noise reduction targets. And despite his protest, Mr Johnson climbed down from a threat to lie down in front of the Heathrow bulldozers and refused to say how he would vote in the Commons.
Mrs May was backed by Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson, who said: “It is a tough decision to make and I think it says something about this Government.
“Other Governments have not taken brave decisions in this area for a long, long time.”
A number of groups have come out in support of Heathrow, including devolved governments, many business leaders and politicians.
A timeline of the debate over airport expansion
A decision over increasing airport capacity in south-east England has being going for decades – here are some key dates:
June 2001: It is reported that Labour ministers are "seriously considering" building a runway at Heathrow in order to keep pace with other European airports
July 2002: Options for UK airport expansion to meet the expected demand for air travel over the next 30 years are outlined by the Labour government, including a third runway at Heathrow and a new four-runway airport near the River Thames in north Kent
December 2003: The go-ahead for a second runway at Stansted by 2011 is given by the government, followed by a third runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow by 2020 if strict limits on noise and air quality levels are met
December 2006: The government reaffirms its backing for two new south-east England runways, and Transport secretary Douglas Alexander says a new runway at Stansted will not be operational before 2015
November 2007: The government outlines proposals for a third runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow, which will be longer than originally envisaged and could be in operation by 2020
February 2008: Climate change protesters climb on to the roof of the Houses of Parliament to demonstrate against the expansion of Heathrow
March 2008: Heathrow's new £4.3bn Terminal Five suffers disastrous opening day with flights cancelled, luggage delayed and long queues, damaging case for expansion
September 2008: Opposition party the Conservatives promise to scrap plans for a third runway at Heathrow and opt instead for a high-speed rail network linking Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and London.
December 2008: The decision on expanding Heathrow is postponed by the government amid speculation the cabinet is split on the controversial plans
January 2009: Labour backs third runway despite strong opposition, with £9bn project gets go-ahead after PM Gordon Brown says needs of the economy and environment have to be balanced
October 2009: David Cameron tells a public meeting in Richmond, south-west London, that Heathrow expansion will not go ahead, saying "no ifs, no buts"
May 2010: Following a general election, the new coalition government immediately scraps plans for a third runway at Heathrow, reflecting manifesto promises of both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties
March 2012: Both PM David Cameron and chancellor George Osborne acknowledge the need for airport expansion in south-east England
September 2012: An independent commission on future airport policy is set up by Whitehall, chaired by Sir Howard Davies and will publish its final report in the summer of 2015
December 2013: Politicians are likely to have to decide between a new runway at either Heathrow or Gatwick, following an interim report by the Airports Commission.
May 2014: Bosses of Heathrow and Gatwick outline revised plans in submissions to the Airports Commission, with Heathrow envisaging a third runway built by 2025
September 2014: The "Boris Island" Thames Estuary airport plan is officially rejected by the Airports Commission.
July 2015: The long-awaited report by the Airports Commission recommends a new runway should be built at Heathrow rather than Gatwick, and David Cameron says "the guarantee I can give" is that a decision on expansion will be made by the end of the year
December 2015: Patrick McLoughlin announces that a final decision has been put off until at least next summer
June 2016: David Cameron resigns following victory for the Brexit campaign in the EU referendum, leaving the decision on airport expansion for his successor Theresa May
October 2016: Transport Secretary Chris Grayling confirms that the Government's decision will be made by a cabinet sub-committee on October 25