Heathrow cleared for take-off ...but will it get off the ground?

As MPs finally back third runway, Khan begins legal bid to block it

TOWN halls and the London Mayor vowed to block Heathrow expansion at any cost after MPs gave the green light to a third runway last night.

Council chiefs prepared to launch a legal challenge within days, describing the move as ‘illegal’.

They warned that expanding the West London airport would make life ‘intolerable’ for residents and would condemn thousands to ‘premature deaths from dangerous levels of air pollution’.

As the Commons vote came in last night, five local authorities – backed by Greenpeace and London Mayor Sadiq Khan – said they had already amassed a six-figure fighting fund and are hoping to win support from other councils.

Town hall officials will meet law firm Harrison Grant on Thursday to thrash out their strategy. Opponents of Heathrow expansion have six weeks to launch legal proceedings after the MPs’ vote.

Their pledge comes after a heated debate last night, in which the central lobby in Parliament was locked down after 12 demonstrators staged a noisy ‘lie in’ protest. They chanted ‘vote no, Heathrow’.

But UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the goahead for Heathrow would bring an end to almost half a century of prevarication and provide a vital boost for Brexit Britain – while ensuring the airport does not slip behind rivals. Opening the Commons debate, Mr Grayling told MPs: ‘The need for a new runway in the South-East is greater than ever because, and the reason we have to do this, all five of London’s main airports will be full by the mid-2030s. Heathrow is full today.

‘What is actually happening is we’re seeing business leave the United Kingdom and go to airports like Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris that have made additional capacity provision.’

The Tories backed the expansion in their 2017 election manifesto. Heathrow intends to begin construction in 2021 and insists the third runway will be running by 2026.

But the Government now faces the prospect of being bogged down by years of legal wrangling. Former trade minister Greg Hands, who quit the Government to vote against a third runway, told the debate: ‘I have not resigned willingly. This is not just for me a debate about Heathrow, it’s a debate about being true to your word and your election pledges.’

The SNP announced before the vote that its 35 MPs would abstain, despite previously backing Heathrow expansion.

Jeremy Corbyn offered a free vote to his MPs, although the party is opposed to a third runway. Labour’s biggest backer, the Unite trade union, has pledged support.

But council leaders promised to do everything they can to block construction.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson – who is opposed to Heathrow expansion and skipped last night’s Commons vote as he was on a trip to Afghanistan – warned the third runway would never be built.

The local authorities Hillingdon, Richmond, Wandsworth, and Windsor and Maidenhead, the Prime Minister’s constituency, have joined forces to launch a judicial review of the decision. Hammersmith and Fulham is also backing them.

One of the key focuses of the challenge will be the campaigners’ claim that the runway – which will generate an extra 260,000 flights every year – will push Heathrow further in breach of air pollution targets.

They have also warned the

extra noise generated by more than 700 additional flights every day will make living near to the airport unbearable for residents.

The Government has announced there will be a six-and-a-half hour night-time flight ban and a fund to help people install noise insulation in their homes. It also says more modern planes are much quieter.

Mr Grayling’s warning over rival airports on the continent comes as a damning report shows how far the UK’s airports are falling behind Europe’s. Last year, Heathrow was in second place behind Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport in terms of number of direct flights.

After yesterday’s vote, Heathrow still needs to secure planning permission or a Direct Consent Order, which is ultimately granted by the transport secretary of the day. Mr Grayling has said he will not sign it off unless the airport shows it can meet targets on air quality and noise. Officials are believed to be confident that a legal challenge against expansion will fail.