BBC believes runway decision / announcement not on 18th but on 25th October
The BBC’s Kamal Ahmed reports that Theresa May is not going to make an announcement on runways on the 18th October, as many had expected. The decision instead may be on Tuesday 25th October – and the announcement the same day in Parliament. This will be to to allow Cabinet ministers to express their views. “Sources in Whitehall told the BBC that expansion at Heathrow is the clear front runner.” The BBC believes Mrs May has made it clear she wants to hear the wide-ranging opinions of colleagues in Cabinet, and they will discuss the issue at tomorrow’s meeting. But no final decision is expected. It will then be left to the Economic Affairs (Transport) sub-committee, [ie. runways sub-committee] chaired by Theresa May herself, to make the final choice on whether to back Heathrow or Gatwick – or both with one after the other – as those are the options the government has seemingly limited itself to. Boris Johnson and Justine Greening, in Cabinet, are fiercely against a 3rd Heathrow runway. Senior Treasury officials believe Heathrow is the better option for boosting UK economic growth (though the Airports Commission’s own reports show this could be as low as a total of £1.4 billion over all the UK over 60 years, taking all costs into account. That is a vanishingly small figure]. Heathrow has the benefit of fitting in with HS2 for links to the rest of the UK.
.
Tweet
Heathrow decision to await Cabinet view
BBC reporting Heathrow/Gatwick announcement won’t be this week: rumour is that they want to delay to deal with Witney by-election Thursday.
Nicholas Watt said on Newsnight.
17.10.2016: There will be a vote in the Commons within a week of the runway announcement. Though government are obliged for a National Infrastructure project to hold a vote within a few months, the government wants to hold a vote much earlier. That is to prevent opponents “building up a head of steam” so even if Zac Goldsmith resigns and there is a by-election, they will have the numbers to support their runway in parliament already by then.
.
Airports Commission’s only data: Only £1.4 billion benefit of Heathrow runway for all UK over 60 years
The table below, from P 147 of the Airports Commission final report shows the total benefit of a new NW Heathrow runway, over all the UK, over 60 years, to be just £1.4 billon in their “Assessment of Need” scenario (the one the Commission uses most) with carbon capping (ie. keeping UK aviation inside its cap, that is consistent with responsibilities under the UK Climate Change Act of 2008. [Or £11.8 billion carbon traded].
This contrasts with the Commisison’s headline claim in its statements to the press etc, of benefits of “up to £147 billion” over 60 years. Those figures are all the benefits, but forgetting to subtract the costs.
Heathrow claims figures of £112 billion, or £211 billion – for all the UK over 60 years. These
.
.
.
.