Labour may halt airport expansion to curb emissions

‘Labour don’t want to be seen voting down radical climate action on the conference floor’

LABOUR could end all airport expansion in the UK under radical plans drawn up by party activists to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2030.

Momentum, the Left-wing campaign group, has teamed up with grassroots activists to try to pressure Jeremy Corbyn into adopting more drastic measures to slash pollution by the end of the next decade.

With the Labour leader declaring climate change one of his top priorities, his supporters hope to push their proposals to a vote at the party’s conference next week in order to make them official policy. Scores of local Labour branches have submitted motions on climate change to the conference, with at least seven calling for an end to the future construction and growth of airports.

While Momentum has not yet publicly called for blocks on airport expansion, a senior insider last night told The Daily Telegraph that it was likely to throw its weight behind the proposals in the coming days.

They added: “We specifically want to see radical policy on the climate and if you’re talking about net zero by 2030 … one of the less radical things will be not building anymore airports. It’s actually quite pedestrian.”

Separately, Labour for a New Green Deal, a prominent grassroots pressure group, has claimed that “opposition to airport expansion should be as natural to the Labour Party … as support for new green jobs.”

The organisation has put forward its own motion calling on Labour to commit to the “decarbonisation” of the economy, and is urging members to boycott conference events sponsored by Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

It comes as Labour today unveils plans to install more than 150,000 solar panels on hundreds of hospitals nationwide, amid plans to turn the NHS into the “greenest health service on earth”.

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, will on Sunday reveal a raft of new proposals for a “net zero health service”, including a fleet of lowemission ambulances. Other proposals include planting one million trees – one for every staff member – on NHS land, and replacing outdated heating and energy systems in hospitals.

Labour believes the plans will cut millions of tonnes of carbon emissions annually, while the roll-out of solar panels and new heating systems is expected to slash energy bills.

However, the calls among Labour pressure groups for more radical climate action are likely to pose a significant headache for Mr Corbyn, who is attempting to balance his environmental credentials against resistance from trade union leaders.

They include Unite’s Len Mccluskey, whose union represents tens of thousands of airport workers, and who last year rowed with Labour over its opposition to a third runway at Heathrow.

He is likely to be joined by the TUC, which has signalled it will only support environmental policies that do not risk job losses in industry.

Last night a senior Labour source warned of a looming “showdown” at the party conference, with activists and union representatives expected to clash over the final policy proposal.

The Telegraph also understands that Mr Corbyn is concerned that the net zero timetable is unrealistic and could try to push the deadline back by up to 10 years.

But those in favour have indicated to The Telegraph that they will resist efforts to water down the proposals, with a Momentum source warning that the move would anger members.

“When you’ve got 130 CLPS [local party branches] calling for 2030 … there will be quite a lot of pressure to have something that doesn’t look like a fudge,” they added.

“[Labour] don’t want to be seen voting down radical action on climate on the conference floor.”