Boris could bulldoze Heathrow runway vote
Our proposal was cheap, simple, quicker to build and would destroy fewer houses...but it was vetoed
Theresa May faces a rebellion by Boris Johnson as she considers whipping a vote on the third runway at Heathrow. The Prime Minister had been expected to give MPS a free vote on the issue, but The Daily Telegraph understands she is now considering imposing a three-line whip amid concerns that the Government could lose. It would represent a significant test of her authority. The Foreign Secretary, who once said he was prepared to lie down “in front of bulldozers” at Heathrow, still opposes the expansion.
THERESA MAY is facing a rebellion by Boris Johnson and senior Tory MPS after it emerged that she was considering whipping a vote on the third runway at Heathrow later this month.
The Prime Minister had been expected to allow the Foreign Secretary and dozens of anti-heathrow Tory MPS a free vote on the runway in an effort to avoid destabilising the Government.
However, The Daily Telegraph understands Mrs May is now considering imposing a three-line whip amid concerns that the Government could lose.
Ministers are also understood to be concerned that granting MPS a free vote will set a “dangerous precedent” and force the Government to hold free votes on future infrastructure projects. It would represent a significant test of her authority and comes in the same month that she faces a major Commons rebellion from Tory MPS over her plans for Brexit.
More than 20 pro-remain Tory MPS could oppose the Government and back a series of Lords amendments on the EU Withdrawal Bill, including giving Parliament a “meaningful vote”.
Mr Johnson, who said on being elected MP for Uxbridge in 2015 that he was prepared to lie down “in front of bulldozers” to stop the airport’s expansion, has not changed his view that the third runway is a “disaster”.
The three-line whip would effectively force Mr Johnson to resign if he voted against his own Government. Greg Hands, a trade minister, is also strongly opposed to a third runway. To avoid their resignation both ministers could be allowed out of the country on official business when the vote takes place, The Telegraph understands.
Chris Grayling, the Transport Secretary, is tomorrow expected to set out the National Policy Statement for a third runway at Heathrow in the Commons, detailing the noise, air quality and cost requirements.
A vote, which will be the first time it has been before the Commons since Mr Johnson became Foreign Secretary, must then be held within 21 sitting days in Parliament. While whips believe that the Government has the numbers to win, there is mounting concern that Labour will come out in opposition.
Labour’s manifesto said that the party would need to be satisfied that certain environmental conditions were being met if it was to give its backing to Heathrow.
More than 30 Tory MPS are thought to be prepared to rebel if they are handed a free vote, which could be enough to defeat the Government.
It could leave Mrs May dependent on the support of the Scottish National Party and rebel Labour MPS as she tries to push the plans through Parliament. There are also concerns that the SNP could oppose the expansion of Heathrow to defeat the Government, despite it being in Scotland’s interests.
Justine Greening, a former Tory Cabinet minister and leading opponent of Heathrow, said: “I hope that the Government honours the commitment it made previously to have a free vote. A lot of MPS who fundamentally believe this is a bad thing will be left with no choice but to vote against a Government whip.”
Another senior Tory MP opposed to a third runway said: “It would be a serious mistake. Boris and Greg would be left with no choice but to have to resign.
“It would be an act of self-harm by the Government.”
It comes as campaign group The Heathrow Hub, which says it has an alternative, cheaper plan to extend an existing runway, launches a last-ditch bid to derail the airport’s favoured plan to build a new strip.
‘It would be a serious mistake. Boris and Greg would be left with no choice but to have to resign’
When a group of us decided to submit to the Airports Commission an independent idea to expand Heathrow – differing from Heathrow Airport’s own proposal in that it would involve extending the existing northern runway, rather than building a new, third, one – little did I know that it would be tougher than anything I experienced as a Concorde pilot or as director of British Airways operations at Heathrow or Gatwick.
The Government went with Heathrow’s third runway proposal, and Parliament is expected to start the approval process this week. Yet our plan delivers the same capacity and economic benefits, but is cheaper, simpler, quieter, and quicker to build and it destroys fewer houses. Critically, it can be built in phases, reducing risk. Phasing also means the Government can halt expansion if environmental limits are not met.
We have a credible plan to bridge the M25 because the extended runway is well south of the junction with the M4. We would build a new section of motorway and move the lanes when ready. Even now, Heathrow Airport cannot say how it will get its runway over the M25 without causing years of roadworks. We have also conducted a full safety review. Heathrow Airport has failed to do the same (no doubt partly because that would force it to disclose the complex new flight paths that its plan will require over London).
Given the advantages of extending the northern runway, you would have thought Government would have lept at the proposal. Chris Grayling, the Transport Secretary, was attracted by it and, in 2016, asked the airport to provide a guarantee to implement it. Heathrow’s board declined, effectively vetoing the idea. Mr Grayling told the transport select committee that the lack of a guarantee was “the biggest issue” in not selecting our plan.
We believe that Heathrow Airport vetoed our scheme because perverse regulatory incentives mean its largely overseas shareholders are rewarded, via higher passenger fees, for going for the most expensive proposal.
Heathrow’s third runway will cost at least £17billion. IAG, BA’S owner, reckons it could cost as much as £31billion and result in the doubling of passenger fees – already the most expensive in the world. Our Phase 1 would cost £3.9billion, and deliver at least 70,000 extra flights per year, with no impact on passenger fees.
After more than five years of dealing with the incompetent processes of the Department of Transport, our investors lost patience and we complained about Heathrow Airport’s behaviour to the Competition and Markets Authority. We have been fortunate to have our investors’ backing, but they are irritated that the process has apparently been rigged to favour Heathrow. They are serious about getting some sort of redress.
When the Airports Commission originally solicited ideas and deemed our scheme viable, it was never said that Heathrow would have the right of veto. The consequences of Heathrow Airport’s actions are that consumers and airlines are being saddled with higher costs and a risky scheme which will take years to deliver. We believe this is an abuse of Heathrow Airport’s
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dominant market position as the nation’s only hub airport.
I also feel sorry for the victims. Higher passenger fees will make low-cost regional connections to Heathrow less viable, so northern cities, Northern Ireland and Scotland may be disappointed by the lack of low-cost connectivity. The thousands living in the villages which Heathrow Airport plans to destroy now face more uncertainty. Londoners and residents of Windsor will get more aircraft noise and less respite than we could provide.
You might say that we should have realised that getting involved in such a complicated area of policy was bound to end in disappointment. I would respond that, in the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the RAF, we should remember that the UK has a great heritage of aviation innovation. Our plan is very much in that tradition.
Even if the Government tries to force approval for Heathrow Airport’s plan through Parliament, ignoring our request to be included, all will not be lost. By running such a flawed process, the Government is going to find itself bogged down in legal challenges and protests. Our hope is that, at some point, common sense will prevail.
Jock Lowe is director of Heathrow Hub