Heathrow: Starmer won’t say if he backs London airport expansion
Sir Keir Starmer has refused to say whether he would back the expansion of Heathrow Airport after voting against a third runway in 2018.
The Prime Minister said would not be “comment on speculation” on the issue, as emphasised the government is “committed to growth” when asked about reports ministers could be set to approve major expansion plans at three London airports, according to Bloomberg.
The Chancellor Rachel Reeves is said to be poised to announce her support for additional runways at Heathrow and Gatwick, and a bid by London Luton to significantly increase capacity, in a speech later this month, which has reportedly sparked division within Labour.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons at lunchtime today, Sir Keir was asked by Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay about his previous opposition to Heathrow’s expansion due to the climate emergency.
Ramsay said: “Expanding London’s airports and building a third runway at Heathrow would be incredibly irresponsible in the midst of a climate emergency, flying in the face of the Climate Change Committee’s advice
“The Prime Minister clearly knows this because he and seven cabinet colleagues voted against a third runway at Heathrow in 2018. So can he confirm what his position is now?”
In February 2020, Starmer shared an article about the third runway at Heathrow being ruled illegal due to climate change, with the comment: “Congratulations to the climate campaigners.
“There is no more important challenge than the climate emergency. That is why I voted against Heathrow expansion.”
In response to Ramsay, Starmer said: “I’m not going to comment on speculation.
“He knows that we as a government are committed to growth. We’re committed to the aviation section and to our climate obligations.”
And he added: “But I’m not going to take lectures from those who talk about climate change but oppose vital renewable infrastructure in their own constituency.”
Earlier today Reeves appeared to face down Labour critics of plans to expand Heathrow, as she spoke at a Bloomberg event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The Chancellor said she wanted to ensure any pro-growth measure “trumps other things” but would not comment on speculation about a Heathrow decision, which could trigger a row with critics including London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan and energy secretary Ed Miliband.
She said: “Of course, there are other things that matter, but when we say that growth is the number one mission of this government, we mean it, and that means it trumps other things.”