GMB support Heathrow Airport expansion on eve of Appeal Court proceedings
Britain’s biggest unions and Back Heathrow say: time to get on and build Heathrow's new runway
This is a crucial project for London and the whole UK. The courts need to recognise this, says GMB London
Speaking on the eve of the Appeal Court proceedings at the Royal Courts of Justice, Back Heathrow and trade unions have sent out a message that Heathrow expansion is not a choice between the environment and jobs – we can have both.
Heathrow’s expansion has been approved by an independent Airport Commission, and by a majority of 296 MPs in the House of Commons last year.
In May the High Court threw out the original judicial review on all five grounds. However, Hillingdon council and other local boroughs who brought the original action – Wandsworth, Richmond and the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Plan B Earth and the Mayor of London are taking it to an appeal.
The use of taxpayers’ money continues to mount. Costs of £625,000 were recovered from the claimants following the failed judicial review. This is in addition to over £2m of expenditure in legal fees, PR costs and funding of local ‘anti- Heathrow’ groups over the last decade.
Warren Kenny, GMB London Regional Secretary said:
"GMB always fights in the interests of our members. We don't agree with everything that Heathrow does and we will continue to have robust discussions about the importance of good jobs paid above the London Living Wage. But we also know it’s in the interests of current and future GMB members to expand the airport. This is a crucial project for London and the whole UK. The courts need to recognise this."
Parmjit Dhanda, Executive Director, Back Heathrow said:
"Back Heathrow represents over 100,000 local people who want to see the jobs, apprenticeships and economic benefits of expansion, but not at any cost. We want to see a new runway delivered with tight regulations that will mitigate noise, protect air quality and cut carbon. That will be sealed in law.”
Peter Kavanagh, Unite London & Eastern Regional Secretary said:
"Unite wants to see a new runway at Heathrow and the creation of up to 180,000 new jobs for our country. We are campaigning for quality new jobs alongside tough regulations to protect our environment. At Heathrow we can have both."
ENDS
Contact: Perry Phillips 07912 293481 or Graham Stewart, Back Heathrow Communications Officer 0203 735 9827 or graham@backheathrow.org or GMB London Press Office 07970 114762
Notes to Editors:
Back Heathrow is a community organisation with over 100,000 supporters in west London and the Thames Valley who back Heathrow expansion. Independent polling by Populus states that more people in the 16 of 18 constituencies adjacent to Heathrow support expansion than oppose it.
