Sadiq Khan has said he would favour second runway at Gatwick
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said he will join legal action brought by local councils against Heathrow Airport expansion if MPs vote in favour of a third runway next week.
During mayor’s question time this morning, Khan (pictured) reaffirmed his opposition to government’s decision to back Heathrow expansion.
Khan said: “While I believe in a better Heathrow, I do not believe a bigger Heathrow is the right answer for London and I remain committed to opposing such a short-sighted decision. There are no plans on how to deal with the valid concerns about Heathrow expansion.
“If the vote on Monday in parliament goes in favour of a third runway, then it is my intention to join the legal action brought by the local authorities.
“This will be a critical moment, and for the sake of Londoners affected by poor air quality, disruption from noise and the costs needed to improve transport connections I will do what I can to stop these poor plans.”
Khan said the south east of England was in need of additional airport capacity, but said he believed the government was pressing ahead with the wrong decision to build a new runway at Heathrow and that a second runway at Gatwick was a better option.
Khan has made his opposition to a third runway known through formal consultations and correspondence with transport secretary Chris Grayling.
Transport for London has provided technical support to the councils.
Khan said government had failed to show any plans for how it will fund the billions of pounds needed to improve road and rail connections to the airport and prevent huge congestion across the transport network. TfL estimates approximately £15bn more investment would be needed, compared to just £3bn more for Gatwick expansion.
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