25 June 2018 - Heathrow Airport: MPs to vote on third runway
Building a third runway at Heathrow will damage more than the environment – it will also increase class divides
Clive Lewis (The Independent, 4/06/2018)
The Heathrow expansion vote in parliament on Monday is about more than just environmental concerns – it’s also about the kind of society we want to live in. It goes to the very heart of why so many people in this country voted Brexit. People who’ve felt increasingly marginalised and forgotten these past 40 years because of economic decisions that have favoured the wealthy, especially those in the south. In this respect the Heathrow expansion is business as usual.
But even before we look at the social and economic implications of Heathrow, we must first judge this endeavour by the legally binding obligations that already exist – namely our domestic and international climate change commitments. The National Policy Statement (NPS) we will have to vote on offers more questions than answers when it comes to this critical issue.
Heathrow must expand, for the sake of the country
Chris Grayling (The Telegraph, 24/06/2018)
Britain has always been a nation with a strong global focus. We have influenced change and built strong ties all round the world. As we enter the post-Brexit world, that global focus is more important than ever. We need to be self-confident, ambitious, and relentlessly internationalist in our outlook. And we need to demonstrate clearly that our future lies very much at the heart of the world stage. There is no better way of doing that than by finally taking the decision to equip our hub airport with the capacity it needs for that future.
SNP MPs 'may not back Heathrow expansion'
(BBC News, 24/06/2018)
The SNP could refuse to back Heathrow expansion in a key Commons vote on Monday, BBC Scotland has learned.
A senior party source said it had not been convinced by the case for a third runway.
The SNP had been expected to back the UK government in the vote.
But the source said the party had been concerned in recent weeks about a lack of detail about how benefits would be delivered.
Boris Johnson Should Resign Over Heathrow Expansion, Says Senior Tory MP
Ned Simons and Graeme Demianyk (The Huffington Post UK, 24/06/2018)
Boris Johnson should resign as foreign secretary in order to vote against the expansion of Heathrow, a senior Tory has said.
MPs are expected to give the green light on Monday to building a third runway at the airport.
But Johnson will conveniently be out of the country meaning he will avoid having to choose between his Cabinet job and his longstanding opposition the plan.