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London draining life out of rest of country - Cable London draining life out of rest of country - Vince Cable
(about 1 hour later)
London "is becoming a giant suction machine draining the life out of the rest of the country", Business Secretary Vince Cable has warned.London "is becoming a giant suction machine draining the life out of the rest of the country", Business Secretary Vince Cable has warned.
Mr Cable made the comment while saying that he believed regional airports should be expanded rather than London's Heathrow Airport.Mr Cable made the comment while saying that he believed regional airports should be expanded rather than London's Heathrow Airport.
The Lib Dem minister told BBC Radio 4's Today some "more balance" was needed.The Lib Dem minister told BBC Radio 4's Today some "more balance" was needed.
But Labour said the coalition's attempts to address economic imbalances in the UK had been "feeble".
Mr Cable, whose constituency includes Heathrow flight paths, has long opposed plans for a new runway there.Mr Cable, whose constituency includes Heathrow flight paths, has long opposed plans for a new runway there.
He was speaking after Sir Howard Davies' Airport Commission shortlisted three options for expanding UK airport capacity, two of which involved Heathrow.He was speaking after Sir Howard Davies' Airport Commission shortlisted three options for expanding UK airport capacity, two of which involved Heathrow.
Much of the business world is seen as being in favour of more airport capacity in the south east, so Mr Cable was asked whether he stuck by his opposition to expansion at his local airport. With much of the business world in favour of more airport capacity in south-east England, Mr Cable was asked whether he stuck by his opposition to expansion at his local airport.
He said: "What this report is doing is trying to reconcile two different things. He said: "What this report is doing [is] trying to reconcile two different things.
"One is to try to ensure that, for the economic interests of the country, we have more connection to the big emerging markets."One is to try to ensure that, for the economic interests of the country, we have more connection to the big emerging markets.
"On the other hand we have hundreds of thousands of people in London living under the flight path with very serious issues of noise."On the other hand we have hundreds of thousands of people in London living under the flight path with very serious issues of noise.
"All the parties have made it very clear that we can't make that problem worse.""All the parties have made it very clear that we can't make that problem worse."
The "way forward", he argued, was to make "more use of provincial airports".The "way forward", he argued, was to make "more use of provincial airports".
Mr Cable described Sir Howard Davies' report as "very well argued". 'Ferociously'
Mr Cable described Sir Howard's report as "very well argued".
But he added: "One of the big problems that we have at the moment, which I don't think the report sufficiently addresses, is that London is becoming a kind of giant suction machine, draining the life out of the rest of the country.But he added: "One of the big problems that we have at the moment, which I don't think the report sufficiently addresses, is that London is becoming a kind of giant suction machine, draining the life out of the rest of the country.
"More balance in that respect would be helpful.""More balance in that respect would be helpful."
Shadow business secretary and Labour MP for Streatham in London, Chuka Umunna, said: "It's no good him talking about regional imbalances when his government dismantled the institutions that were addressing that - Regional Development Agencies - then put feeble substitutes in their place in the form of Local Enterprise Partnerships which they gave no powers too nor appropriate budgets."
In September 2012, Mr Cable told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "There's an absolute political commitment not to expand Heathrow.
"It's not going to happen, so the value of the [airports] commission... is looking at the alternatives."
Asked on the Today programme whether he still believed Heathrow expansion was not going to happen, he said: "I think it is very unlikely to, actually."
But, although he argued his case "ferociously" in government, he added, this was not a matter over which he would be prepared to resign.
The final Airports Commission report is due by summer 2015, after the next general election.