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| Greg Hands quits as minister to vote against Heathrow third runway | Greg Hands quits as minister to vote against Heathrow third runway |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The international trade minister Greg Hands has resigned in order to vote against Heathrow expansion when plans for a third runway are put to the Commons on Monday. | The international trade minister Greg Hands has resigned in order to vote against Heathrow expansion when plans for a third runway are put to the Commons on Monday. |
| The MP for Chelsea and Fulham, a longstanding opponent of Heathrow expansion, wrote on Twitter: “As the government will be whipping the vote on Monday, this means I am resigning from the government. | The MP for Chelsea and Fulham, a longstanding opponent of Heathrow expansion, wrote on Twitter: “As the government will be whipping the vote on Monday, this means I am resigning from the government. |
| “It has been an honour to serve the prime minister (and her predecessor) for the last seven years and I wish the PM [and] the government every continuing success.” | “It has been an honour to serve the prime minister (and her predecessor) for the last seven years and I wish the PM [and] the government every continuing success.” |
| A Downing Street source said: “He had been categoric to his constituents that he would vote against the third runway, so it is not a massive surprise that he has resigned. It is a three-line whip.” | A Downing Street source said: “He had been categoric to his constituents that he would vote against the third runway, so it is not a massive surprise that he has resigned. It is a three-line whip.” |
| Andy McDonald, Labour’s shadow transport secretary, said: “Greg Hands’ resignation piles the pressure on Boris Johnson, who promised his constituents he would ‘lie down in front of the bulldozers’ to stop a third runway. Instead he is jetting off to Luxembourg on Monday to avoid the vote because he is too weak to stand by his promises.” | |
| A Downing Street spokesman added: “Greg Hands has served the government with great ability and distinction over several years and we thank him for all his work. This government is committed to expanding airport capacity at Heathrow – this is an important decision which will play a crucial role in securing the future of Global Britain.” | |
| The government’s plan to expand the west London airport is almost certain to get the green light in the Commons next week. Conservative MPs have been told there is a three-line whip to vote in favour of the proposed £14bn expansion. Labour MPs will get a free vote. | |
| Johnson, the foreign secretary and one of the Heathrow expansion’s most vocal opponents, is due to be abroad on the day of the vote, allowing him to escape having to choose between resignation and rebelling against Theresa May. | |
| Hands’s resignation came as the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said he would join legal action against the third runway, if MPs voted to approve it. | |
| “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,” Khan told the Guardian. “There are no plans on how to deal with the valid concerns about Heathrow expansion.” | |
| Khan said he would support the legal action set to be brought by 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,” he said. | |
| “The south-east of England is in need of additional airport capacity, but I believe the government is pressing ahead with the wrong decision to build a new runway at Heathrow. It is my view that a second runway at Gatwick is a better option.” | |
| Last year, the mayor directed Transport for London to provide advice and assistance to affected borough councils, including Hillingdon, Richmond, Wandsworth, and Windsor and Maidenhead, as they prepared for the joint legal challenge with Greenpeace against the Heathrow plan. | |
| On Wednesday, Jeremy Corbyn said he would not whip Labour MPs to vote against the national policy statement, which contains the principles for the airport expansion plans, though the party has said it does not meet Labour’s four tests on issues such as air pollution and jobs. | |
| Scores of Labour MPs and major trade unions are in favour of expansion but there is also likely to be significant opposition, including from the Labour leader and the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, as well as senior Tories. | |
| Tory sources are predicting that only a handful of Tory MPs will rebel, including Justine Greening and Zac Goldsmith. Up to 100 Labour MPs are expected to back the plans. | |
| Labour MPs, especially those in northern England, have argued that the plans are crucial to connectivity from regional airports, and expansion is likely to get support from the majority of SNP MPs for similar reasons, though government sources said there was some frustration that their support was “soft”. | |
| The prime minister has allowed ministers a “waiver” from collective responsibility on the policy. Ministers who oppose Heathrow, such as Johnson, have been permitted to express opposition but only to local media. | |
| If the MPs approve the statement, the next stage is a public consultation and the judicial review, after which the government can then give planning permission, known as a development consent order. | |
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