Senior Conservatives have clashed over a third runway at Heathrow, with mayoral hopeful Sir James Cleverly declining to support the expansion despite shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith's full backing.
Mr Griffith threw his support behind expanding the west London airport during a speech at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham. He vowed to end what his party has called the "embarrassment" of the long-running dispute over a third runway.
Cleverly's scepticism
But Sir James, the frontrunner to be the Conservatives’ candidate for Mayor of London, has declined to support the move. The former London Assembly member has previously stressed that he has "always been very sceptical" about the "quick fix arguments" put forward by supporters of a bigger Heathrow.
Sir James emphasised that his priority was ensuring "the needs of Londoners are put forward first, particularly those in west London". He has arranged meetings with both Heathrow and the local community.
Political divide
The political divide over Heathrow expansion has centred on attempts to balance boosting economic growth with concerns about its climate and environmental impact. London Mayor Lord Sadiq Khan strongly opposes a third runway.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has taken a cautious approach to the project, refusing to say whether he supports it and instead stressing the importance of "local voices" being heard. Mr Griffith used his conference speech to make clear that a future Conservative government would back the runway and take action to overcome obstacles.
"The next Conservative government will do whatever it takes to end the delays and boost capacity by backing the third runway," he said. "We are all in for growth and will legislate to sweep away the blockers."
Other candidates' views
London Assembly chairman Andrew Boff, another Tory mayoral hopeful, criticised Heathrow’s proposal, describing it as "the most unambitious scheme". He said: "We want something that's going to solve the air travel problems of London for hundreds of years ahead, not just until the next crisis."
However, businessman Alex Challoner and former police commissioner Festus Akinbusoye, who have also thrown their names into the hat to be the Tory mayoral contender, backed the plans. "I've been very clear about this. I am in support of London Heathrow Airport and I would welcome a third runway at Heathrow," Mr Challoner said.
Mr Akinbusoye described Heathrow as "a very central part of the wider infrastructure network that we have in Britain". The Conservatives have criticised the Prime Minister’s caution as a lack of leadership and pledged to introduce legislation aimed at removing planning barriers. Mr Burnham has previously expressed doubts on the project, arguing it will divert much-needed development funds from the North.
The new runway would increase the west London airport’s capacity to 756,000 flights and 150 million passengers a year.
