Davies adds his voice to calls for London airport decision

BTN News
Thursday, 20 October 2016

Sir Howard Davies, chair of the UK Airports Commission that recommended expansion at London Heathrow airport rather than rival Gatwick, has called for a parliamentary vote on airport expansion to be held without delay.


Davies said he saw no reason why the House of Commons vote on airport expansion should not go ahead.


“I’m very nervous about a situation that says: ‘We can’t do something because people will protest.’ We have a democracy in this country,” Davies said.


“We should put it to the House of Commons and see what the vote is, and not take the view that we can’t build an economically rational thing in an environmentally sensible way just because a few people will argue about it. That doesn’t seem to be a sensible way of making policy.”


He said Heathrow is the airport that links Britain to markets outside Europe.


UK prime minister Theresa May also has been accused of “dither and delay” (on a vote) by Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, after she delayed the parliamentary vote on airport expansion until end 2017/early 2018.

A cabinet committee will decide next week to back expansion at Heathrow or Gatwick, but May appears to have shelved plans for a parliamentary vote on the issue this northern autumn after being warned of possible Conservative resignations in south-west London.

Davies adds his voice to calls for London airport decision

BTN News
Thursday, 20 October 2016

Sir Howard Davies, chair of the UK Airports Commission that recommended expansion at London Heathrow airport rather than rival Gatwick, has called for a parliamentary vote on airport expansion to be held without delay.


Davies said he saw no reason why the House of Commons vote on airport expansion should not go ahead.


“I’m very nervous about a situation that says: ‘We can’t do something because people will protest.’ We have a democracy in this country,” Davies said.


“We should put it to the House of Commons and see what the vote is, and not take the view that we can’t build an economically rational thing in an environmentally sensible way just because a few people will argue about it. That doesn’t seem to be a sensible way of making policy.”


He said Heathrow is the airport that links Britain to markets outside Europe.


UK prime minister Theresa May also has been accused of “dither and delay” (on a vote) by Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, after she delayed the parliamentary vote on airport expansion until end 2017/early 2018.

A cabinet committee will decide next week to back expansion at Heathrow or Gatwick, but May appears to have shelved plans for a parliamentary vote on the issue this northern autumn after being warned of possible Conservative resignations in south-west London.