Labour joins call to fast-track airports review – to get Davies to report before 2015 election

Labour has joined  Boris in demanding that a review into London’s airports be completed before the next election. Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle has warned that delaying the report of the independent commission to be headed by Sir Howard Davies until after 2015 risked “kicking the issue into the long grass.” Maria Eagle said  “There will therefore be no possibility of cross-party talks in advance of the election to establish whether consensus can be reached to support Sir Howard’s recommendations — and no opportunity to make the manifesto commitments that mean these are significantly more likely to become a reality.”  Labour has shifted its post-election position from being against a 3rd runway at Heathrow to being “sceptical” about  it.  Ms Eagle also said (at the AOA conference) that the delay in the review would make it harder to form a policy on the proposed high-speed rail route.


Labour joins call to fast-track airports review

Warning: shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle wants the full report before a general election Pic: Alex Lentati

23 October 2012 (Evening Standard)

Labour today joined Mayor Boris Johnson in demanding that a review into London’s airports be completed before the next election.

Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle warned that delaying the study — headed by former London School of Economics boss Sir Howard Davies — until after 2015 risked kicking the issue into the long grass.

Some senior Tories have come round to the idea of a third runway at Heathrow, as pushed by Labour before the 2010 election, despite the impact of more noise and air pollution. But Liberal Democrats are firmly opposed to expansion at Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted, or a new “Boris island” airport in the Thames estuary.

Amid the Coalition stand-off, Ms Eagle said: “The Government is making a huge mistake by putting party political opportunism before the good of the country — and, I believe, before democratic accountability — by pushing the outcomes from the aviation commission beyond the next election.

“There will therefore be no possibility of cross-party talks in advance of the election to establish whether consensus can be reached to support Sir Howard’s recommendations — and no opportunity to make the manifesto commitments that mean these are significantly more likely to become a reality.”

Labour has shifted its post-election position from being against a third runway at Heathrow to being “sceptical” about the development. At the conference of the Airport Operators Association, Ms Eagle also said the delay in the review would make it harder to form a policy in conjunction with the proposed high-speed rail link from London to Birmingham and further north.

At the gathering in the capital, aviation minister Simon Burns warned the growth of airports throughout the UK “cannot disguise the wider reality that Britain has failed to follow Germany, France and the Netherlands in planning for our long-term connectivity needs … we risk seeing European competitors benefiting more from the fast-growing markets of emerging economies.

“Maintaining the UK’s status as a leading global aviation hub is fundamental to our long-term competitiveness. Yet … we must take full account of social, environmental and other impacts.” He said the country and aviation industry could not afford “indecision”.

The Davies commission will consider all options, including expanding Heathrow. The Department for Transport played down suggestions that Mr Burns had committed the Government to implementing its findings.

The Mayor has raised the prospect of launching a judicial review to speed up the study. Ministers insist an interim report will be published next year. There are new plans for a second runway at Gatwick and a four-runway hub at Stansted.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/labour-joins-call-to-fasttrack-airports-review-8222769.html