SNP in Heathrow talks

£19bn issue could be decided by vote in Commons

EXECUTIVES from Heathrow are in private talks with the SNP leadership in their bid to win support for the controversial plan to create a £19 billion third runway at Heathrow Airport, London.

Securing the backing of the Nationalists’ 55 MPs could prove crucial if there is a House of Commons vote to decide the issue.

But such a scenario would be constitutionally incendiary at Westminster if such a decision on an airport in southern England were effectively determined by MPs from Scotland, given the widespread opposition to a third runway at Heathrow from local politicians among the Conservatives, the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.

Over summer, Zac Goldsmith, Tory MP for Richmond Park, warned that SNP MPs would be crossing the line in terms of democracy if a deal were struck for cheaper flights for Scottish travellers in return for Nationalist votes at Westminster.

His Tory colleague Mark Field, who represents the Cities of London and Westminster, said Scottish Nationalists should abstain on any forthcoming vote at Westminster on whether to build a third runway at Heathrow or, indeed, a second one at Gatwick.

In July, the Davies Inquiry, commissioned three years ago by the UK Government, recommended that, if stringent noise and air-pollution conditions could be met, then Heathrow rather than Gatwick should be extended.

David Cameron, who in 2010 famously declared there would be no third runway at Heathrow “no ifs, no buts”, is due to give his response by the end of the year.

But expansion of Heathrow is contentious. It is opposed by many Conservative MPs, including Mr Goldsmith, London Mayor Boris Johnson and Cabinet Ministers Philip Hammond, Theresa Villiers and Justice Greening. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his shadow chancellor John McDonnell are also strongly opposed; both are London MPs.

While it is estimated that a third runway at Heathrow would mean 250,000 more flights a year, provide a £150 billion boost to the UK’s income over the next 60 years and create 70,000 jobs, it would also mean demolishing almost 800 homes, including most of the nearby village of Harmondsworth.

Drew Hendry, the SNP transport spokesman, stressed his party is neutral on whether Heathrow or Gatwick should be expanded. But he has made clear it would support the option that answered Scottish demands for cheaper ticket prices and guaranteed connections to international flights.

Lobbyists from Heathrow and Gatwick are at the SNP conference, the former paying for banners at the conference venue.

Heathrow officials said they were in discussions with politicians from across the UK on how to maximise the benefits for their constituents. “Scotland,” it said, “stands to benefit from the 180,000 new skilled jobs and £211bn in economic growth that Heathrow expansion will deliver.”

A senior figure at Heathrow said there was a clear deal to be cut with the SNP in return for the party’s support. He said Scottish passengers wanted a long-term commitment to protect routes such as Aberdeen, but also wanted the opening of new ones, such as a route between Heathrow and Dundee or the reopening of the old direct route to Inverness.

Stewart Hosie, deputy leader of the SNP and MP for Dundee East, said: “The first airport that offers us connectivity in abundance will be in a prime position to win our support.”