Archives



Air, Freight News


MPs vote for Heathrow third runway

[ June 26, 2018   //   ]

MPs voted 415 to 119 in favour of a third runway at London Heathrow airport on the evening of 25 June, possibly bringing down the curtain on a controversy that has lasted over 20 years.

Conservative MPs were forced to support the government plan although Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who as MP for Uxbridge had vowed to lie down in front of the bulldozers, was in Afghanistan during the vote.

The Labour Party was officially opposed to the scheme but gave its MPs a free vote.

However, the plan could face a legal challenge by local councils, the London mayor and environmental groups.

In a statement, Heathrow Airport said that the vote would end “decades of political debate on one of the UK’s most pressing infrastructure issues.” It cleared the way for Heathrow to submit an application for development consent for the project and, over the next 12 months alone, the airport will sign £150 million worth of contracts with British businesses, creating 900 new jobs and 200 new apprenticeships. Heathrow will also announce the locations of the off-site logistics hubs for what will be one of Europe’s largest infrastructure projects.

Tags: