We need a lead from Mrs May on aviation

IT’S hard to think of a worse time for a decision on expanding aviation in the South-East to be strung out.

Yet that is the signal we are getting from the Government: a decision, probably in favour of Heathrow, will be announced next week but it will go to public consultation and MPs may well vote on it only late next year.

Obviously any big development such as this will have to go through rigorous planning procedures and due process, and the charitable view is that this is what the Government is doing, besides clarifying that the public and dissenting ministers will have an opportunity to have a say on its proposals and that MPs will duly approve the measure. Granted, too, some councils will want to oppose Heathrow expansion; some have fighting funds put aside.

But what this risks looking like is yet more procrastination on the critical question of aviation expansion, yet another bid to kick a contentious issue into the long grass — a tactic deployed by successive governments, notably David Cameron’s. Yet what we need now is boldness in pursuing our strategic goals.

Post-Brexit Britain needs to show it is open to world trade and has a global reach. China has already expanded the number of destinations for flights from Britain. The City wants to make clear it is an international centre, hospitable to all comers. So the one thing London needs is an airport, or two, sufficiently large to accommodate greater numbers of both business visitors and tourists.

This paper is not dogmatic on the site for expansion; our preference is for greater capacity at both Heathrow and Gatwick but we would welcome any decision that would meet the objective of expanding capacity. It is the function of strong government to make decisions on strategic issues. Mrs May’s preferred method in government is to consult widely and then make a decisive move: well, on this issue, where the stakes are about as high as they could be, she must give a lead. It matters.