At London rally, John McDonnell hits out at “lying” aviation officials over Heathrow claims
At the huge anti-Heathrow 3rd runway rally, Labour’s shadow chancellor John McDonnell lashed out at ‘lying’ aviation officials, saying ‘poisoned’ air is killing residents in the area. He said the aviation industry has ‘consistently lied’ about expanding the UK’s largest airport. He said if it would be ‘down to people power’ to prevent the 3rd runway being built, if the expansion is backed by Parliament and court appeals against the decision fail. “I will welcome back to my constituency, climate camp and all those demonstrators that will take action to prevent this runway being built.”… He said in his Hayes & Harlington constituency, next door to Heathrow: “… at the moment, people are literally dying. They’re dying because the air has already been poisoned by the aviation industry. …They’ve promised us after every inquiry, no further expansion. They are liars. They have consistently lied to us. They now tell us if they get a 3rd runway, there’ll be no increase in noise and no increase in pollution. They lie every time to us.” He said up to 4,000 homes would be demolished, or rendered unliveable in his constituency. Both main mayoral candidates, Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan, also addressed the rally, and spoke about the seriousness of the risk to ever worse air quality – with its health implications.
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‘Poisoned air is killing residents near Heathrow’: Shadow chancellor John McDonnell hits out at ‘lying’ aviation officials over third runway
– McDonnell attended London rally against a third runway at Heathrow
– Told hundreds of attendees that ‘poisoned’ air is killing residents in area
– Said the aviation industry has ‘consistently lied’ about expanding airport
– It would be ‘down to people power’ if expansion is backed by Parliament
– Tory MP Zac Goldsmith and Labour’s Sadiq Khan also spoke at the rally
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By SOPHIE JANE EVANS
10 October 2015 (Mail online) See full story and photos
Labour’s shadow chancellor John McDonnell has lashed out at ‘lying’ aviation officials at a rally against a third runway at Heathrow Airport, saying ‘poisoned’ air is killing residents in the area.
Addressing hundreds of [actually between 1 – 2 thousand] people gathered in London’s Parliament Square today, Mr McDonnell, 64, declared the aviation industry has ‘consistently lied’ about expanding the UK’s largest airport. [See FoE briefing on lies].
He said it would be ‘down to people power’ to prevent the construction of a third runway at the airport if the expansion is backed by Parliament and court appeals against the decision fail.
Labour’s shadow chancellor John McDonnell lashed out at ‘lying’ aviation officials at a rally against a third runway at Heathrow Airport today, saying ‘poisoned’ air is killing residents in the area
The MP, whose constituency contains Heathrow, said: ‘In my constituency at the moment, people are literally dying. They’re dying because the air has already been poisoned by the aviation industry.’
He added: ‘They’ve promised us after every inquiry, no further expansion. They are liars.
‘They have consistently lied to us. They now tell us if they get a third runway, there’ll be no increase in noise and no increase in pollution. They’re liars. They lie every time to us.’
Tory London mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith and his Labour rival Sadiq Khan were also among those to address the rally after the Airports Commission recommended building a third runway.
Heathrow was chosen by the commission as the best way to increase airport capacity for London and the South East because it was predicted it would add £147 billion in economic growth.
Mrs Sheila Taylor (centre front), whose home would be affected by the proposed expansion of Heathrow, is pictured with rally attendees, including her granddaughter Maderline Taylor, Mr McDonnell, Mr Goldsmith and Mr Khan and Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Pidgeon
However, Mr McDonnell, the MP for Hayes and Harlington claimed 4,000 homes would be ‘demolished or rendered unliveable’ in his constituency if the third runway goes ahead.
‘At one point they were going to drive a road through our cemetery and we were going to have to dig up our dead,’ he said. ‘I say this to any politician who might be thinking of voting for the third runway – vote for the third runway and don’t expect any votes from Londoners because we’ll vote you out.
He added: ‘If politicians vote for it and we can’t win in the courts, it will be down to people power to prevent this going ahead. So I will welcome back to my constituency, climate camp and all those demonstrators that will take action to prevent this runway being built.’
Zac Goldsmith said a ‘catastrophic price’ will be paid if a third runway is built – and that expanding the major airport (file picture) would make London’s’ air pollution problems ‘unsolvable’
The MP for Richmond Park said: ‘We know a million homes, a million families, would be subjected to noise way beyond what is acceptable, according to the World Health Organisation. We know that our air pollution problems in London would be unsolvable if we expand Heathrow. And we know it requires the demolition of more than 1,000 homes.
‘It is a catastrophic price to pay.’
Mr Goldsmith added that the Commission’s report was ‘discredited’, ‘bogus” and ‘hopeless’.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Palace of Westminster today chanted ‘no ifs, no buts, no third runway’, in reference to Mr Cameron’s comments about a prospective third runway in 2009.
Dressed up: A woman dons a plane-themed cap as she protests against plans for a third runway at Heathrow
London mayor Boris Johnson was due to speak at the event, but he could no longer attend. Daniel Moylan spoke instead. A spokesman for Mr Johnson said he had a personal commitment out of the country. ‘He would be there otherwise,’ the spokesman said. ‘Boris’s support remains undiminished.
‘He wishes them well.’
Mr Khan, the MP for Tooting, told demonstrators: ‘The UK Supreme Court two months ago held that our air was in breach of the EU air quality directive. Our air is a killer. It makes you sick and it’s illegal. In those circumstances how can we say yes to a new runway at Heathrow airport.’
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Updated Friends of the Earth briefing about the lies and half truths that Heathrow has told, over the years.
Heathrow T5 and R3 Broken Promises February 2015 FoE