Conservative leader David Cameron has all but ruled out the prospect of Heathrow Airport expansion under a Tory government.
Siding with environmental campaigners who fear a third runway would lead to unsustainable pollution levels, Cameron said the economic justification for expansion appeared to be “flawed”.
He accused prime minister Gordon Brown of seeking to appease business leaders by portraying opponents as “putting lightweight environmental concerns ahead of the economy”.
“Gordon Brown is pig-headedly pursuing a third runway just to try and prove a political point,” the Tory leader asserted, adding that the “fiasco” of Terminal 5 would lead many to question whether airport regulator BAA can manage further growth.
Cameron added: “There are now increasing grounds to believe that the economic case for a third runway is flawed, even without addressing the environmental concerns.”
Until yesterday (June 17), the Conservatives had largely avoided making overt policy statements about Heathrow Airport expansion.
According to the latest ComRes poll for The Independent on Sunday, Labour currently trails the Tory party by 18 points, garnering 26 per cent of the popular vote against their 44 per cent majority.
