Heathrow wins Tory hopeful’s backing but is accused of favouritism

HEATHROW chiefs today won over their first Tory parliamentary candidate in west London in their bid to build a third runway after pledging an estimated £7 million for noise insulation for his local schools.

But they were plunged into a general election row after making the concession to Simon Nayyar, the Conservative contender for Feltham and Heston.

He gave his support to Heathrow expansion after they told him five schools in the constituency would be part of a £700 million noise mitigation programme.

“Without me pushing for children and families, I doubt we’d have secured this result. But Heathrow has done the right thing here: that’s why I’ve decided to lend my support to their campaign,” he claimed.

But Labour’s Seema Malhotra, who is seeking re-election to the seat after winning with a 6,203 majority in a 2011 by-election, criticised Heathrow’s commitment to Mr Nayyar.

“If true, it is inappropriate for Heathrow to be making promises to one individual candidate on the basis of Seema Malhotra, Labour candidate for Feltham and Heston delivering improved mitigation measures if their bid for a third runway is recommended by the Davies Commission,” she said. “Any commitments to delivering better mitigation should be unequivocal and made publicly.”

Heathrow welcomed Mr Nayyar’s backing, saying: “Simon joins a number of politicians in the Thames Valley and also business groups including London First and 32 chambers of commerce across the country.”

The airport announced in February a huge expansion of its proposed noise insulation scheme as part of its bid to win the battle against Gatwick for permission to build another runway. But it did not identify which properties would benefit from this.

Less than four weeks before the election, the airport told Mr Nayyar it had modelled three scenarios of expansion which showed to a “very high degree of certainty” five schools in Feltham and Heston would get noise protection beyond those who should get it under Government rules.

Paul Griffiths, head of Dubai International Airport, has criticised the political deadlock over Heathrow’s expansion hopes as “scandalous”.

‘Any commitment to delivering better mitigation should be unequivocal and made publicly’