London Heathrow expansion for take-off ?

Leading figures from every major political party in the UK have called on Prime Minister Theresa May to clear Heathrow expansion for take-off.

The PM has the opportunity to deliver on a key pledge from her Conservative Party conference speech – to take big decisions about the country’s infrastructure, the leading politicians say.

A decision for Heathrow is a decision for the whole of the UK, with thousands of new jobs and billions in economic benefits for every region and nation.

Fifty leading politicians from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including former Cabinet minister Stephen Crabb, the DUP’s Nigel Dodds and Welsh Labour’s Stephen Kinnock signed a letter to the Prime Minister urging her to green-light Heathrow expansion in the interests of all of the UK’s nations. Conservative MPs from the South West and Labour politicians from East London and the North East have also recently written to the PM backing Heathrow.

They join the growing number of leading figures, businesses and communities around Heathrow calling on Theresa May to say ‘yes’ to the opportunities that only expanding Heathrow can deliver – a strong and fair economy for every part of the UK, the new trade routes to emerging markets that post-Brexit Britain needs and up to 180,000 new jobs and 10,000 apprenticeships.

The full text of the letter reads:

Dear Prime Minister,

In your conference speech, you spoke of the need to ‘represent and govern for the whole nation.’ As political representatives from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, we welcome this commitment to act in the interests of all our nations. You now have the opportunity to demonstrate this by delivering on another pledge from your speech: to ‘take big, sometimes even controversial, decisions about our country’s infrastructure.’

Although Heathrow is in London, it is the UK’s hub airport. Other countries are investing in and supporting their hub, or looking on enviously as they hub through other countries. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales all have our own successful and growing airports. But Heathrow is our gateway to the world, bringing tourists to our attractions and helping our exporters reach new markets. Whether we are connected by road, rail or air, we know that connections to Heathrow are a key driver of investment decisions.

Expanding Heathrow will create nearly four times more jobs in our three nations than other options being considered. Heathrow expansion is important for each of our nations remaining open, outward-looking, and trading globally. We urge you to act in the interests of all the nations of the UK and urgently approve the expansion of Heathrow.