Labour should scrap third runway plans

During the Parliamentary debate on the expansion of Heathrow airport, Theresa Villiers set out the case against a third runway.

The Shadow Transport Secretary highlighted the environmental concerns around the expansion, quoting the Environment Agency’s view that a third runway would lead to “increased morbidity and mortality”.

She disputed the claim that the runway would bring large economic benefits, stressing, “There is simply no evidence to back Labour’s claim that Heathrow will go into terminal decline if it doesn’t become a much bigger hub with thousands more transfer passengers.”

And she concluded, “The environmental and social costs of the third runway outweigh its potential economic benefits. We want to make Heathrow better not bigger so that we have the top class international airport we need for business competitiveness and for holiday-makers.”

Theresa promised that a Conservative Government would scrap Labour's plans for a third runway.