Conservative and Labour candidates in Brentford & Isleworth say they would defy their parties to oppose a Heathrow runway, if necessary
At a Brentford & Isleworth hustings, Conservative parliamentary candidate Mary Macleod and Labour’s Ruth Cadbury told the audience they would vote against Heathrow’s 3rd runway even if it was supported by their respective parties. The Hounslow candidates are Joe Bourke (Liberal Democrat), Mary Macleod (Conservative), Ruth Cadbury (Labour), Richard Hendron (UKIP) and Daniel Goldsmith (Green). Both Mary Macleod and Ruth Cadbury said they would not resign should their parties decide to support a 3rd runway, but they would instead try to fight the policy from within the fold. The official policies of both Conservatives and Labour is to wait for the findings of the Airports Commission, which might make its announcement as early as late May, or else by the end of June. Green Party candidate Daniel Goldsmith and Liberal Democrat Joe Bourke both said their parties were clear in their opposition to a 3rd runway. But UKIP’s Richard Hendron was the only candidate in favour of the runway, even though his party’s manifesto is opposed to it (and backs Manston instead). The anti-expansion candidates said they wanted Heathrow to remain as Britain’s “premier” airport. Mr Goldsmith said he didn’t want Hounslow to be too reliant on a single industry.
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General Election: Rivals in Hounslow vow to defy parties over Heathrow if needed
16 April 2015 (Get West London)
By Robert Cumber
Conservative candidate Mary Macleod and Labour’s Ruth Cadbury told hustings audience they would vote against Heathrow’s third runway even if it was supported by their respective parties
Parliamentary candidates at the Brentford hustings on April 15. Pictured left to right are Joe Bourke (Liberal Democrat), Mary Macleod (Conservative), Suzie Betlem (who chaired the meeting), Ruth Cadbury (Labour), Richard Hendron (UKIP) and Daniel Goldsmith (Green)
The leading candidates for Brentford & Isleworth have both vowed to defy their parties if necessary by voting against a third runway at Heathrow.
Conservative candidate Mary Macleod and Labour’s Ruth Cadbury made the promise in a general election hustings at St Paul’s Church, Brentford, on Wednesday (April 15).
However, they told the audience of around 150 people they would not resign should their parties decide to support expansion at the airport. Instead, they said they would try to fight the policy from within the fold.
Both Labour and the Tories have said they will wait for the findings of the Airports Commission, which is weighing up rival bids for a new runway at Gatwick and Heathrow, before making a decision. The commission is expected to publish its recommendation in late May.
Green Party candidate Daniel Goldsmith and Liberal Democrat Joe Bourke both said their parties were clear in their opposition to a third runway, leaving UKIP’s Richard Hendron as the only candidate to advocate an extra landing strip.
To a smattering of jeers from the audience, Mr Hendron said that speaking as someone who had lived under the flight paths for 34 years, he believed expansion was vital for jobs and investment in the area. He added that he thought a third runway was a “done deal” anyway.
Mr Goldsmith compared Ms Cadbury and Ms Macleod to two people on a rollercoaster, with no power to alter the chosen course of their parties on Heathrow, both of which he described as “ambivalent” about a third runway. He said the only way to register a protest against Heathrow expansion was to vote Green.
Despite the proliferation of anti-third runway badges among the audience, one voter was brave enough to declare his support for expansion. He said jobs in the area relied upon it and challenged candidates about why they had not said more regarding the impact on the local economy.
The anti-expansion candidates said they wanted Heathrow to remain as Britain’s “premier” airport, though Mr Hendron claimed it would lose that status if it did not expand.
Mr Goldsmith said he didn’t want Hounslow to be too reliant on a single industry as he believed aviation could go the way of shipbuilding and mining.
The meeting was organised by Brentford Chamber of Commerce, with support from NeighbourNet, the team behind BrentfordTW8.com. It was chaired by the chamber’s president Suzie Betlem.
As well as Heathrow, rivals clashed over the impact of welfare cuts, whether an EU referendum should be held and possible changes to foreign aid, among other issues, during a sometimes heated two-hour debate at the church.