Labour in-fighting has exploded surrounding the potential £2.2billion plans for expanding Gatwick Airport.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has said she is “minded to approve” a second runway at Gatwick airport while slamming “flight-shaming eco warriors”.
This is despite Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband voicing a more sceptical tone about the airports push hailed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Ms Alexander supported the broad principle of allowing the emergency runway at Gatwick to be brought into routine use. But she extended the deadline for a final decision until October saying there were some more details that needed to be considered.
Ahead of her statement to the Commons today, the Cabinet Minister said: “I have no intention of clipping anyone’s wings. I am not some sort of flight-shaming eco warrior. I love flying – I always have.”
A Government source added: “The Transport Secretary has set out a path to approving the expansion of Gatwick today following the Planning Inspectorate’s recommendation to refuse the original application.
“This is an important step forward and demonstrates that this Government will stop at nothing to deliver economic growth and new infrastructure as part of our Plan for Change.
“Expansion will bring huge benefits for business and represents a victory for holidaymakers. We want to deliver this opportunity in line with our legal, environmental and climate obligations. We look forward to Gatwick’s response as they have indicated planes could take off from a new runway before the end of this Parliament.”
The main stumbling blocks facing Gatwick’s proposals relate to its provisions for noise prevention and public transport. The Planning Inspectorate had made recommendations in those two areas after initially rejecting the scheme.
The northern runway already exists at the airport parallel to the main one but cannot be used at the same time as it is too close.
It is currently limited to being a taxiway and only used for take-offs and landings if the main one has to shut. Gatwick wants to move it 12 metres further away to solve this problem.
It says being able to run both at the same time would allow around 100,000 more flights per year and create 14,000 jobs. Gatwick says the £2.2bn project would not need government money, would be fully privately funded, and could be complete by the end of the decade.
Ms Reeves has argued that expansion of sites, including Heathrow which was approved last month, is essential for economic growth but Mr Miliband has stressed it can only happen if the UK’s carbon emissions targets are met.
Colin Walker, head of transport at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said: “For a Government focused on clean economic growth, there are plenty of projects they can support that will achieve their goals, but airport expansion is not one of them.
“Were the Government to approve expansion of both Gatwick and Luton airports, emissions would increase to such an extent that all the CO2 savings that the Government hopes to achieve from its Clean Power Plan would be wiped out by 2050.
“Despite arguments to the contrary, Sustainable Aviation Fuels are highly unlikely to be available in the quantities necessary to offset the extra emissions that the expansion of airports such as Gatwick would create.
“70% of the UK’s flights are taken by just 15% of its population. Airport expansion will just encourage these frequent fliers to fly even more frequently, emitting more and more emissions. The UK already runs a £41bn tourism deficit; an expanded Gatwick will make this worse by encouraging even more people to take their disposal income out of the UK and spend it abroad.”
