Heathrow
Make your mind up, Tory MPs tell Cameron
At the moment, the Tories intend to head into the next election with the worst of all airport policies. They won’t have announced where the much-needed extra runway capacity in… Continue reading
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No ifs. No buts. Heathrow must have a third runway. Or must it?
‘No ifs. No buts. Heathrow must have a third runway.’ This was our motion of the evening at last night’s Spectator debate, but when it came to kick-off time, it… Continue reading
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Aviation: Don’t say one thing and do another
Some tickets to the Spectator’s next debate, ‘No Ifs, No Buts: Heathrow Must Have a Third Runway’, are still available. Tim Yeo, chairman of the energy and climate change select… Continue reading
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The gap between what David Cameron says and what he does
David Cameron (and a host of other politicians, including Ed Miliband, Vince Cable and Boris Johnson) will address the CBI’s annual conference this morning. Cameron’s widely trailed speech is a… Continue reading
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No ifs, no buts, we need a decision on Heathrow now
The Prime Minister presumably believes we face a critical shortage of airport capacity in London. Why else would he signal a possible U-turn on what was a headline pre-election promise?… Continue reading
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Spectator debate: No ifs. No buts. Heathrow must have a third run way
David Cameron knows that a third runway at Heathrow would be one of the most controversial and significant outcomes of his premiership, which is why he has kicked the decision… Continue reading
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Boris continues to push Heathrow campaign
As much as conference planners would wish it otherwise, one of the biggest stories from the Tory conference will be Boris Johnson’s speech and fringe appearance. It would be a… Continue reading
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Boris seeks rebel representative in the Commons
Boris Johnson is on the look-out for a ring-leader in parliament for his push against the expansion of Heathrow, I understand. His people have been calling around sympathetic backbench MPs… Continue reading
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The answer lies to the east of Heathrow
A retired civil servant of my acquaintance usually provides a telling perspective on the administrative affairs of the day. We discussed the Heathrow row recently. He said that it was ‘right’… Continue reading
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Boris muscles in on Davies’ airport inquiry
Boris Johnson has already denied that the work he is carrying out on airport capacity in London is a rival commission to the one set up by the Government and… Continue reading
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Britain can’t wait until 2015 for airport expansion
The Government has announced that it will appoint a bureaucrat to spend three years writing a report on the desperate and urgent shortage of air transport capacity in the south… Continue reading
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The View from 22 – Cameron’s first reshuffle, Heathrow and the richer sex
Has David Cameron’s reshuffle been a move to the right, a rearrangement of chairs on a sinking ship or will it make no difference at all? On this week’s View… Continue reading
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Boris refuses to rule out fighting by-election over Heathrow
As James remarked earlier, the Cameron vs Boris subtext of the row over expanding Heathrow is going to run and run. Boris managed to fulfil that prediction almost immediately by… Continue reading
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PMQs old game
It was straight back into the old routine at PMQs today. Ed Balls heckled the Prime Minister who shouted back, John Bercow managed to call several of the MPs who… Continue reading
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Reshuffle row on Heathrow takes off
Though the reshuffle, which continues today, saw very little movement at the top of the government, fans of the changes believe the Prime Minister still managed to remove one large… Continue reading
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Of mice and men: the options for airport expansion
Hugh Robertson was trying to stick up for the Prime Minister this afternoon when he said David Cameron was ‘absolutely a man’. He was defending the government’s decision to stay… Continue reading
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Cameron under pressure on Heathrow
David Cameron and his Liberal Democrat partners are coming under increasing pressure from Tory ministers and other senior party figures to U-turn on a third runway at Heathrow. Yesterday, in… Continue reading
40 Comments
Gatwick competes in the disgrace Olympics
Heathrow Airport’s passport control already offers a notorious welcome to Britain, but Gatwick is now offering hot competition. Gatwick Express, the rail artery connecting the airport to London, installed new… Continue reading
45 CommentsLet Tesco Run the Border Agency
Lord knows Heathrow airport is usually a pretty hellish place even on its better days (another reason, incidentally, for starting again on the Thames Estuary and building houses for 150,000… Continue reading
17 CommentsThe government’s airport conundrum
There is a growing acceptance in government that the South East needs more airport capacity. But, as today’s Times outlines, there’s nowhere near agreement on how best to achieve this.… Continue reading
32 Comments