London mayor Sadiq Khan has said he ‘remains opposed’ to a third runway at Heathrow airport, amid rumours of internal conflict over the expansion within the Labour party.
On Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed the government was backing plans for the expansion of Heathrow, saying a third runway is “badly needed.”
Speaking to journalists, business leaders and cabinet ministers in Oxford, she said: “Heathrow is at the heart of the UK’s openness as a country, it connects us to emerging markets all over the world, opening up new opportunities for growth.
“As our only hub airport Heathrow is in a unique position, and we cannot duck the decision any longer.”
However, the announcement has already been met with opposition from both within and outside the Labour party, over concerns of the environmental impact the expansion will have.
Following the chancellor’s announcement, the mayor of London said he was still opposed to a third runway at Heathrow “because of the severe impact it will have on noise, air pollution and meeting our climate change targets.”
He said: “I will scrutinise carefully any new proposals that now come forward from Heathrow, including the impact it will have on people living in the area and the huge knock-on effects for our transport infrastructure.
“Despite the progress that’s been made in the aviation sector to make it more sustainable, I’m simply not convinced that you can have hundreds of thousands of additional flights at Heathrow every year without a hugely damaging impact on our environment.”
Meanwhile, energy secretary Ed Miliband has said: “Any aviation expansion will only be able to go ahead if it is consistent with our carbon budgets”.
When he was Labour leader, Miliband ended Labour’s support for a third runway at Heathrow, and revealed he had considered resigning from Gordon Brown’s cabinet over the issue.
In 2018, Miliband tweeted that he would be voting against a third runway, saying “we owe it to future generations not just to have good environmental principles but to act on them”.
Miliband did not attend the Chancellor’s speech, City AM reports.
Prime minister Keir Starmer and environment secretary Steve Reed also voted against proposals for a third runway in 2018.
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