BORIS GIVES 3RD RUNWAY KILLER BLOW AT PMQs
PRESS RELEASE
3 November 2021
For immediate use
BORIS GIVES 3RD RUNWAY KILLER BLOW AT PMQs
Boris Johnson gave the third runway at Heathrow a killer blow at Prime Minister’s Questions today (1), in a possible attempt to fulfil not only a long held personal position but also strengthen his green credentials during the COP26 conference.
In response to a question by Rupa Huq, the Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton, whose constituency would be badly hit with more noise and air pollution as a result of expansion, the Prime Minister said:
“What this Government is going to do, rather than take steps to damage the economy of this country, which is what Labour would do, what we are going to do is get to net zero aviation. That’s the future for this country – clean, green aviation. And by the way, I think that has every chance of arriving a lot earlier than a third runway at Heathrow.”
Huq had called for a fresh parliamentary vote on whether or not to go ahead with Heathrow expansion, in view of the developments in climate laws since the previous vote in Theresa May’s Government in 2018. Huq argued that this is an environmental act within his gift and would be in the interest of future generations.
Earlier this week, Heathrow’s majority shareholder, Ferrovial, said they are not intending to inject further capital into the airport, as they were not satisfied with the potential returns of a third runway (2).
The Government’s inclusion of aviation emissions into wider and legally binding targets to cut emissions by 78% by 2035 would mean there would need to be cuts at regional airports if Heathrow expansion went ahead. This advice was given by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) when it provided its advice to Government (3).
Earlier in the year, Boris Johnson had told a Downing Street Press Conference (4) that:
“Heathrow…that’s a matter for the company concerned, it is a private matter. They’ve got to get it through and fund it and finance it themselves and my own views about that particular matter are well known. But that doesn’t mean that I am opposed to aviation.”
This clear dismissal of a third runway at Heathrow acts as the biggest signal yet that Boris Johnson’s Government’s aviation-related priorities are towards making aviation a bit more environmentally friendly in decades to come, rather than creating an even bigger mega-polluting hub airport before any green technologies are fully developed.
Heathrow Airport is already the single biggest source of carbon emissions in the UK, emitting 20 megatons of CO2 per year which equates to around 60% of total UK aviation emissions. The CCC’s anticipates that the aviation sector will still be emitting 23MtCO2 in 2050, yet Heathrow expansion – in the form of a third runway would increase the airport’s emissions to 27MtCO2 per year. Heathrow was crowned the second most polluting airport in the world recently. Expansion would make it a holder of the number one position by some distance.
Geraldine Nicholson from campaign group Stop Heathrow Expansion, said:
“The Prime Minister knows that Heathrow expansion would so badly undermine our ability to meet new climate legislation, but also would result in toxic levels of air pollution in areas around the airport.
“Together with the Government’s pledge not to commit a penny in funding for the project, this is surely the end of it. It is the news our communities and wider environment deserve.”
ENDS.
Notes:
1. Prime Minister’s Questions: Rupa Huq vs. Boris Johnson on Heathrow expansion, 3 Nov 21 https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1455869795421855765
2. Death Knell for Third Runway as Ferrovial cut funding, 31 October 2021 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/10/30/death-knell-heathrows-third-runway-spanish-investor-cuts-funding/
3. Climate Change Committee advice on aviation expansion (page 11), 2021 https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Sector-summary-Aviation.pdf
4. Downing Street Press Conference (remarks on Heathrow expansion made at 1726-1728), 20 April 2021.