The new prime minister has previously criticised plans for a new third runway at Heathrow Airport, reports Kumail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter
Andy Burnham should reject the expansion of London’s airports and invest in major hubs in the north of England instead, a senior London Assembly member has said.
Ministers have previously thrown their weight behind backing proposals to grow Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and London City Airport to boost economic growth.
However, they have faced resistance from within City Hall, with both Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan and assembly members urging them to rethink such moves for both environmental purposes and the impact on local residents.
Last week Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander – formerly one of Khan’s deputy mayors – said the government will support “expansion that supports growth and our climate goals”, suggesting ministers will not U-turn on any plans.
But for Leonie Cooper, a Labour London Assembly member who sits as the deputy chair of City Hall’s environment committee, there is still hope of changing course.
Burnham’s underlying ethos since entering No 10 has been ensuring investment and growth “in every postcode” and ensuring that the north and Midlands succeed as well as London.
Although the government is pushing on – for now – the logical move for the new prime minister may be to ensure airports across the UK are fairly treated and championed before the capital receives more private funding.
Burnham has previously appeared to oppose investing in the capital’s airports, saying last year that the planned Heathrow third runway was an example of diverting “infrastructure investment away from the north and traps it in London and the south east”.
Cooper, a long-time opponent of the plans to expand London’s airports, has urged now Burnham to hold the line he once took.
“We might have to wait and see what the new prime minister and the new chancellor now say about expanding five airports in and around London,” she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
“There might be a different viewpoint taken [to the previous government].
“Although I’m not against economic growth, that [expansion] is also tending to concentrate all the growth in the south-east of the country.
“And I suspect that the new prime minister might have views about that, given that he’s already opened No 10 North.
“We do need to take a balanced approach. We do need to invest in the rest of the country. I don’t think we should just be looking to invest in London’s airports – and I am speaking as a representative of Londoners and as a London Assembly member, and I know a lot of Londoners who feel like that as well.”
Khan, Labour assembly members and Labour MPs in the capital have opposed plans for airport expansions under a Tory government, with hopes that a change in No 10 may bring about more constructive and successful discussions.
The mayor was outspoken in his opposition to plans from former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and ex-chancellor Rachel Reeves – one of the growing number of policy disagreements between City Hall and Downing Street.
But any future clashes aren’t the sign of a “disconnect” between a Labour mayor and Labour government, Cooper insisted, comparing it to the discussions in the Conservative Party around net zero.
“I wouldn’t call it a disconnect,” she said.
“I would say it’s more of an ongoing dialog, just as there’s been an ongoing dialogue within the Conservative Party, because actually it was Theresa May when she was the prime minister, who put in place a lot of the net zero targets that Kemi Badenoch, the current leader, is saying that she doesn’t like. So I think it’s an ongoing dialogue, both between the parties but also internally within the parties.”
In a message to Burnham, she said: “Look at it very carefully and if you feel the need to rethink expansion at Heathrow and expansion at City Airport, there are a lot of Londoners who will be be very happy with you making that decision.”
When chair of the environment committee last year, Cooper wrote to the transport secretary suggesting that the progress the mayor of London has made on air quality will be undermined by more flights into and over the capital.
The government’s minister for aviation, Keir Mather, responded that any “airport expansion proposals must demonstrate that they can be delivered in line with the UK’s legally binding climate change commitments and meet strict environmental requirements on air quality and noise pollution”.
However, this has failed to convince many campaigners and critical politicians, who have questioned the need for a Heathrow third runway.
“Firstly, it would take a really long time to build – you’ve got to close or reroute the M25 or possibly both,” Cooper said.
“You’ve got to remove the Lakeside Energy from Waste Plant, which cost £500million to build and takes in rubbish from a number of surrounding boroughs.
“By the time if you’ve done all of this, it’s billions just gone into preparing to put in the new runway – and that’s before arguments about noise and vibration and climate change.
“If we do want expansion, it’s much cheaper and quicker to put in the second runway at Gatwick. I can’t see the need to spend so much money on the expansion of Heathrow for what I think in the end will take years and years and years to pay for itself.”
A spokesperson for Khan said: “Aviation plays an important role in London’s economy and helps keep our capital connected to the rest of the world. But growth cannot come at the expense of Londoners or the environment.
“The mayor is clear that any airport expansion must properly address its impact on carbon emissions, air quality and noise, and he has particular concerns about plans for the expansion at Heathrow.
“London can remain a leading global city while protecting our environment and the people who live here.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson added: “Airport expansion will unlock jobs, strengthen Britain’s connectivity, and attract international investment, and we have been clear that it must support our decarbonisation goals while minimising impacts on local communities.”
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