Many of the party's MPs have supported expansion in the past
Labour’s shadow chancellor John McDonnell has suggested Labour will cancel Heathrow expansion if it wins the next election.
McDonnell told Andrew Marr that Heathrow expansion does not meet the party’s criteria for expansion.
This appears to be a shift, at least in emphasis, from Labour’s 2017 manifesto.
That manifesto said: “Labour recognises the need for additional airport capacity in the South East…we will guarantee that any airport expansion adheres to our tests that require noise issues to be addressed, air quality to be protected, the UK’s climate change obligations met and growth across the country supported.”
John McDonnell, who represents a constituency near the airport, has been a long-term campaigner against Heathrow expansion.
However, in a June 2018 parliamentary vote on Heathrow expansion, the Labour Party leadership allowed its MPs to vote how they want without consequences (a ‘free vote’).
Corbyn, McDonnell and 94 other Labour MPs voted against Heathrow expansion but 119 Labour MPs voted for it.
Many Labour MPs, along with the Scottish National Party, abstained while the Greens, Plaid Cymru and Lib Dems opposed it.
At the time, Left Foot Forward hosted a debate on the issue – with Labour MP Jim Fitzpatrick (who is leaving parliament) supporting the expansion and Green peer Jenny Jones opposing it.
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5 Responses to “McDonnell suggests Labour will oppose Heathrow expansion”
Julia Gibb
Meanwhile in far away Scotland. Labour plan to win back seats in Scotland below
https://theclarionmag.org/2018/06/02/glasgow-east-selection-the-inside-story-2/
Patrick Newman
No political party can be taken seriously on climate change and declaring a climate emergency that allows the expansion of Heathrow to proceed. It is not just the extra flights it is also the general pollution in that part of NW London that a large increase in traffic will generate.
Rowan Adams
Entirely agree with Patrick Newman. I’m glad that many people in the Labour Party are at last catching up on this. I’m a Green Party member and socialist, and will be voting Green on 12 December because it’s in a Green target seat, but will be very pleased if we get a Labour-led government with John McDonnell as Chancellor with green new deal, and new Labour MPs as well as Green MPs who understand the environmental as well as the social crisis we’re in.
Green peer: Labour must clearly oppose Heathrow expansion | Left Foot Forward
[…] Yesterday, Labour’s John McDonnell suggested the party would oppose Heathrow expansion. […]
John Erskine
It doesn’t matter what John McDonnell thinks. It matters what Len McCluskey thinks, and Len has thousands of members at Heathrow, so Len will tell Corbyn to back Heathrow expansion.