Boost for Heathrow third runway as Cabinet opposition weakens

Critics: Mayoral hopeful Zac Goldsmith and current mayor Boris Johnson oppose expansion at Heathrow
Jeremy Selwyn

Cabinet opposition to a third runway at Heathrow has weakened, the Standard has learned.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening, who is MP for Putney, remains the most vociferous opponent on the Tory frontbench to another runway in west London.

But several other ministers are understood to be less hardline opponents than campaigners previously thought, meaning the number of Cabinet rebels could end up being just one or two.

Steeper flightpaths — highlighted in the Airports Commission’s report — may mean some areas would suffer less noise than feared. These could include Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond’s Runnymede and Weybridge seat.

Home Secretary Theresa May, MP for Maidenhead, has been portrayed as an opponent of expansion but her position is believed to be more nuanced.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Greg Hands has spoken against a third runway, voicing the concerns of people in his Chelsea and Fulham seat. But he is a loyalist and if his boss, Chancellor George Osborne, backs a bigger Heathrow, he is thought unlikely to be ready to breach collective responsibility.

Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers would face a dilemma. She was shadow transport secretary when the Tories came out against a third runway before the 2010 election, and opposed the development on air pollution and noise grounds. The Chipping Barnet MP is not known to have shifted her views, but Heathrow expansion could boost air links to Northern Ireland.

The Government is yet to make a final decision on whether to back expanding Heathrow — as strongly recommended by the Airports Commission chaired by Sir Howard Davies — or Gatwick.

Gatwick is still in the running despite indications the west London airport will be chosen. If it is Heathrow, David Cameron is likely to be accused of a U-turn from his “no ifs no buts” opposition ahead of the 2010 election.

Downing Street is believed to want at least 400 MPs to back Heathrow, to give Mr Cameron protection from criticism. With SNP support it is expected to easily reach that figure. The SNP is seeking guarantees of more and cheaper flights to Scotland.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in