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The mayor, councils, environmental groups and residents are this afternoon opening up the contents of 'Plan B' - repealing the government's decision to proceed with a third runway at Heathrow. Boris Johnson called it a "devastating blow for millions of Londoners whose lives are now set to be blighted by massive increases in air pollution and noise" after Transport Minister delivered the white paper that will expand the airport. Angry scenes in parliament The House of Commons was suspended after John McDonald MP for Hayes, also in the runway flight path and was suspended for five days as he picked up the mace and yelled "disgrace!" as there was no vote. He says refused to apologise and said he was "asserting" democracy. Johnson says the government has “failed to deliver a convincing case” for expansion.
High speed – Thames airport
Johnson will be at the forefront of the legal challenges to the plans - his main opposition party vows to scrap the controversial plans if they win the next general election - he has vowed to bankroll the court costs. He favours high speed rail and a new airport in the Thames estuary. He has also "threw down the gauntlet" to Gordon Brown to publicly defend the decision the 21 January at People's Question Time in Hillingdon a community in the path of airport expansion.
2M Group - Legal premise
£15,000 of taxpayer’s money will be handed over to the 2M group of councils that are trying to block the expansion of the world’s busiest airport. The legal fight will focus on EU emissions laws which campaigners say will be trashed if the runway is built - next month the courts will decide if a challenge is even possible. 4 million people are represented in the 2M group which boasts 20 local authorities as members including the London Boroughs of Brent, Camden, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Southwark, Sutton and Wandsworth, the boroughs of Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead and South Bucks District Council.
MPs - Land bought
Over 50 Labour MPs are dead set against the expansion with many including Ann Keen MP for Hounslow concerned for their parliamentary seats at the next election as thousands of extra flights buzz over their constituencies in Enfield, Islington, Camden and Harrow. Around 700 homes will be demolished as will large areas of green belt land which will increase the number of flights using Heathrow from about 480,000 a year now to 702,000 by 2030 and require another terminal – Heathrow already has five. Greenpeace say they have "thrown a massive spanner in the works" after plots of land needed for the expansion were bought up - it would take a long winded compulsory purchase order to get them off it. It will take years before a brick is laid, estimates are 2019 - but by then we could have a Conservative government who vow to scrap the runway.
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