All Party Backing for Airport Fight

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 9th Jul 2002

This week, the government is launching its promised consultation paper on airports in the South East. It is expected to give priority to new runways at Heathrow and Gatwick and possibly to others at Stansted and in Kent.

The government will assume a doubling of air traffic and flights in the next thirty years.

An All Party Group has been set up to oppose the proposals to develop Heathrow further and its inaugural meeting today (Tuesday July 9th) will set out alternatives.

Founder members include Francis Maude, Chairman, Conservative, John McDonnell, Labour, Hayes and Harlington, and Vincent Cable, Liberal Democrat, Twickenham.

Vincent Cable said: "This whole 'predict and provide' approach to airport development is wrong. We do not build endless motorways to meet demand. We do not simply build more power stations to meet demand but encourage conservation and efficiency. Yet the airlines, backed by the government, blithely assume that economics and the environment,can simply be ignored."

"Although the final decision on new runways will not be made for some time, it is clear that the government and the industry are determined to ram these proposals through, including a third or even fourth runway at Heathrow".