Open letter demands action on Heathrow expansion

David Cameron has excluded all Cabinet members known to oppose a third runway at Heathrow from a dedicated Cabinet Committee on airport expansion, fuelling fears the decision will be a “whitewash”.

It calls on the Government to implement the Airports Commission’s recent clear and unanimous recommendation to expand Heathrow.

Boris Johnson, the London Mayor and outspoken opponent of Heathrow expansion, was invited to attend the Cabinet as it met at Chequers on Wednesday in what will be seen as an attempt to build bridges.

That leaves the Nationalists wielding considerable influence.

However, SNP transport spokesperson Drew Hendry said Nicola Sturgeon’s party are “neutral” on the issue and will pick any airport according to who would provide Scottish people with cheaper tickets on connections with global flights.

He added: “The key thing for us is that for too long Scotland has done pretty badly in terms of maintaining routes from regional airports”.

Zac Goldsmith, Conservative MP for Richmond Park and the leading candidate for his party’s nomination as mayoral candidate, warned SNP MPs the would be “crossing the line in terms of our democracy” if a deal is struck buying their voted in return for cheaper flights for Scottish travellers.

“Expansion will result in 1.5million people being affected including more than 300,000 who have never had any aircraft overhead and will experience the noise for the first time”. “Onward connections are much more expensive – the prices are ridiculous”.

He explained: “That does not mean we do not care about environmental issues or the effect it would have on people locally”. A senior Downing Street source said the committee included members with the “greatest policy interest in the decision” and that it would be based on the “evidence” and made by the end of the year. Heathrow lobbyists have been campaigning for a free vote at Westminster, believing Scottish MPs and Northern Irish ones would back the Heathrow option as it offered better connections as the UK’s hub airport.

But Hendry declared the party would be negotiating with both airports and with the Government for the sake of Scots – who are routinely forced to pay higher prices for travelling overseas via London.