Ex-minister says opponents of third runway should be allowed to have their say

The government must allow a free vote on Heathrow expansion plans to allow ministers and MPs to represent their constituents, the former education secretary Justine Greening has said.

Greening, a fierce critic of the plans, said ministers such as Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, should be allowed to register their long-held opposition to a third runway without breaking collective cabinet responsibility.

The government is considering whipping Conservative MPs in favour of expansion in the vote, but vocal opponents of expansion, including Johnson and the international trade minister, Greg Hands, could be permitted to miss the vote by being out of the country on official business.

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The transport secretary, Chris Grayling, will confirm the government’s final plans for a third runway at Heathrow on Tuesday. The vote must follow within 21 days of the national policy statement, though it is likely to be sooner as the government looks to avoid a Tory rebellion.

Greening, the MP for Putney, in south-west London, one of the constituencies that could be most affected by the increased capacity, said she was prepared to rebel. “I’ve always been clear I can’t support this proposal going through parliament, even if it’s whipped,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“I think for ministers involved in this there has always been a special dispensation for them to represent their local communities. Boris has a longstanding position on this, as I have, and I hope he is allowed to represent his community and his views when the vote comes to parliament.”

Grayling will set out his proposals for the expansion to senior colleagues on the cabinet’s economic subcommittee on Tuesday morning, before the decision goes to the full cabinet for approval.



The transport secretary will then make a statement to MPs and will tell them that there is no alternative option if they block the third runway.

Grayling has argued in favour of a three-line whip rather than a free vote. About 30 Tory MPs oppose the government’s plans. The Democratic Unionist party, the Scottish National party and scores of Labour MPs support the plans, and trade unions are strongly in favour.

Greening sounded a note of caution to Scottish MPs considering backing the plans. “One of the biggest problems with the Heathrow proposal is that Scottish connections simply become unviable, they won’t compete with another full plane to New York that can bring in so much more money,” she said.

“So Scottish taxpayers should expect to have to pay a subsidy to Heathrow airport in the future if they want to maintain those links. I think that money would be better spent by the Scottish government and Scottish people developing point-to-point links connecting Scotland to the rest of the world and airports there.”

Labour has said the Heathrow third runway would have to satisfy four tests relating to noise, air quality, climate change and economic growth. The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, a longstanding opponent of a third runway, has said he cannot see any way Heathrow could meet the tests.

Greening said the government needed to go back to the drawing board and prepare a UK-wide airports strategy. “The whole mantra of hub is wrong and we need to be looking regionally,” she said.

“This is expensive, it’s an £18bn project just to build the runway, it’s £10-15bn of public transport spend to help people get to it. It is looking backwards, because we are now looking at point-to-point travel so the hub becomes less important. We need a proper UK strategy … that actually looks at regional airports.”