David Cameron has been accused of letting down British exporters and ducking and diving for political convenience by planning to delay a final decision on whether to press ahead with the expansion of Heathrow airport.
No 10 said there would be a clear decision this week, but declined to say whether this would be the final choice to go ahead.
Faced with the possible resignation of Zac Goldsmith, the MP and Conservative candidate for London mayor who opposes Heathrow’s expansion, Cameron appears to have decided to defer a final irreversible decision until after next May’s mayoral elections.
The cabinet sub-committee due to look at the issue on Thursday is likely to say that more time is needed – possibly up to six months – to look at the impact on air quality, an issue highlighted by the environmental audit select committee last week. Goldsmith has said he would resign his Richmond Park and North Kingston seat in south-west London if the government backs the Heathrow airport expansion.
The Labour mayoral candidate, Sadiq Khan, also opposes Heathrow expansion, so a delay would suit both main parties even if Cameron’s reputation for taking tough infrastructure decisions will be dealt another blow. In July Cameron guaranteed there would be a decision this year.
The select committee challenged the report by Sir Howard Davies, the chairman of the Airports Commission, which recommended Heathrow expansion. It claimed the commission had ruled that air quality standards could decline at Heathrow so long as the standards at the airport were not the worst in London and that Davies had claimed this interpretation was compliant with European Union air quality directives.
There are also issues over the date by which air quality targets at Heathrow should be met and whether Heathrow should be responsible for nitrogen oxide limits in areas close to the airport.
The Engineering Employers Federation denounced the delay and called on the government to stick to its promise to make a clear decision before the end of the year. “If a decision on building a new runway has been ducked, then it marks another blow for Britain’s exporters,” the federation said. “It would mean that while the government may talk the talk about boosting Britain’s exports and productivity, it fails when it comes to making a firm decision and getting on with it. Delay and dithering is bad for business.”
Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat candidate for London mayor , said: ”Londoners opposed to expansion are fed up of being lied to. A decision is needed now. Heathrow is not, and never will be, the place to expand airport capacity and the sooner this Tory government accepts that, the sooner we can get on with developing a sensible aviation policy for the UK.”
Labour’s Khan said: “While many Londoners like me will be relieved that the government seems to be cooling on Heathrow, we won’t forgive David Cameron if this is just a postponement to spare his mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith’s embarrassment during the campaign.
”Business will not forgive the Tories for ducking one of the most important decisions on British infrastructure. We need more aviation capacity to keep ahead of [London’s] European and global competitors – capacity that could be delivered quickly if the government would stop dithering and give Gatwick the go-ahead. Every day David Cameron delays this decision is another day wasted.”
The select committee reported that Davies had not studied the Department for Environment consultation on air quality in depth, but he believed that additional government measures to combat pollution would improve the chances of compliance from an expanded Heathrow.
It added: “Before the government makes its decision, it will need to demonstrate that its revised air quality strategy can deliver compliance with legal pollution limits within the timescales agreed in the finalised plan to be approved by the European commission.
“It will also need to show that this can be maintained even when the expanded airport is operating at full capacity. Heathrow’s existing air quality strategy should also be revised to meet the new targets. Failing this, Heathrow should not be allowed to expand.”
