Ministers paved the way for a crunch Commons showdown on Heathrow after signing off plans for a third runway today.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling hailed the ‘historic moment’ as he made a statement to MPs on the long-awaited decision.
He insisted that the multi-billion pound project, which was first mooted more than 15 years ago, would not only benefit London and vowed ‘safeguards’ to protect the environment.
‘The time for action is now,’ Mr Grayling said.
But Theresa May is facing a major Tory revolt with senior figures including Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Justine Greening opposed to the plans.
Speculation has been mounting over the position of the Foreign Secretary, who once pledged to ‘lie down in front of bulldozers’ to prevent the expansion.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced the Heathrow plans had been approved in a statement to MPs today
An artist’s impression of how Heathrow Airport would look with the third runway added
Tory whips fear the result of a vote in the Commons (pictured) could be close and are expected to order the party’s MPs to back the proposal – rather than allowing them a free vote
Former education secretary Justine Greening claimed a promise had been made of a free vote and said Mr Johnson should be allowed to ‘represent his community’
Tory whips fear the result could be close and are expected to order the party’s MPs to back the proposal – to the fury of opponents who believe they were promised a free vote.
Defying a three-line whip would normally mean a minister has to resign.
However, Mr Johnson – whose constituency is close to the flightpath – could simply be out of the country when the vote happens over the coming weeks.
Mr Grayling said there would be a £2.6billion compensation fund for environmental measures, compensation for residents, and improvements to local amenities.
‘Heathrow is already full and the evidence shows the remaining London airports won’t be far behind,’ he said. ‘Despite being the busiest two-runway airport in the world, Heathrow’s capacity constraints means that it is falling behind its global competitors, impacting the UK’s economy and global trading opportunities.
‘Expansion at Heathrow will bring real benefits across the country including a boost of up to £74 billion to passengers and the wider economy. This is a project with benefits which reach far beyond London.’
Mr Grayling acknowledged the concerns of people living around the airport, but said there was a £2.6billion package for local communities towards the costs of compensation, noise insulation and improvements to public amenities.
He said the scheme – including £700million for noise insulation for homes and £40 million to insulate schools and community buildings – was comparable ‘with some of the most generous in the world’.
He said that he also expected to see for the first time a six-and-a-half hour ban on scheduled night flights, and would be encouraging Heathrow and airlines to work with local communities to propose longer periods of respite during a further consultation on night flight restrictions.
‘I hope the House will be ready to work together – acting on an issue that is in our shared national interest – in order to create a positive legacy for the future. I hope members will get behind it,’ he said.
He said the move signalled ‘our commitment to securing global connectivity, creating tens of thousands of local jobs and apprenticeships, and boosting our economy for future generations by expanding Heathrow Airport’.
He added: ‘My department has met with local residents and fully understands their strength of feeling but this is a decision taken in the national interest and based on detailed evidence.’
Mr Grayling batted off questions about whether there would be a free vote, saying it was a matter for individual parties.
But he said he believed there was ‘huge support from regional airports and regional business groups for the expansion of Heathrow’.
Boris Johnson was among those arriving for the Cabinet meeting this morning (pictured right) after going for a jog (left)
Supporters say the Heathrow plans (pictured) are the best and most cost-effective option to increase capacity and boost the national economy. But critics say the plans are ‘expensive and complex’ and bad for the environment
Mr Grayling went on: ‘This a way of making sure our citizens, the people we represent, the businesses we work in have access to the strategic routes for the future they will need in the post-Brexit world.
‘If we are going to be a successful nation in the post-Brexit world, we’re going to need advances like this that make a real difference to the future of this country.’
A proposal for expanding the airport was first set out by the Labour government.
But the ideas have since gone through a tortuous process, with many believing the runway will never happen.
Supporters say it is the best and most cost-effective option to increase capacity and boost the national economy.
Critics warn the plan is ‘expensive and complex’ and bad for the environment, with some saying Gatwick airport should be made larger instead.
Mr Johnson himself previously backed a new development in Kent, having criticised the economic and environmental case while Mayor of London.
Mr Rees-Mogg has suggested a ‘Heathrow Hub’ scheme which would merely extend the existing runway capacity ‘has lower costs, is faster and has lower landing charges’.
Richmond MP Zac Goldsmith said he feared the expansion plan would merely mean the taxpayer writing a ‘series of blank cheques’.
It had long been thought that Conservative MPs would be given a free vote on the issue.
Two years ago, under David Cameron, rebel ministers who had longstanding objections to Heathrow were given permission to campaign against expansion in their constituencies.
But one senior source dismissed that suggestion last night.
‘There wasn’t a free vote on [railway] HS2, which arguably was more disruptive to MPs’ constituencies. This is a clear manifesto commitment,’ the source said.
One option for the Heathrow development would see the runway built over a widened M25 (computer generated image)
‘It’s not a matter of conscience. Nor is it up to the House of Commons to determine government aviation policy.’
Former education secretary Justine Greening claimed a promise had been made of a free vote and said Mr Johnson should be allowed to ‘represent his community’.
‘I think, for ministers involved in this, there has always been a special dispensation for them to be able to represent their local communities. That’s always been very clear-cut, actually,’ she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
‘Boris has got a long-standing position on this, as I have, and I hope that he is allowed to represent his community and his views when the vote comes in to Parliament.
‘I think in the past there have been assurances that this would be a free vote – I hope they’re stuck to.’
‘A lot of MPs who fundamentally believe this is a bad thing will be left with no choice but to vote against a government whip.’
When he was elected MP for Uxbridge in 2015 Mr Johnson said he was prepared to ‘lie down in front of bulldozers’ to stop expansion.
Trade minister Greg Hands, MP for Hammersmith and Fulham, is also believed to be opposed to a third runway.
Labour is also deeply split on the Heathrow issue, with shadow chancellor John McDonnell among the MPs against the plan.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable, whose Twickenham seat stands to be affected by expansion, branded the scheme ‘ill-conceived’.
However, there is thought to be a majority across the House in favour.
In October 2016 the Government announced that a third runway at the west London hub is its preferred option for increasing airport capacity in south-east England.
The Cabinet agreed the National Policy Statement (NPS) on the expansion this morning.
Outline planning consent will be given by Parliament if it approves the NPS setting out objectives and requirements for the scheme.
A vote should take place within 21 sitting days of the government decision.
Heathrow is the busiest airport in Europe with 78 million passengers in 2017.
A third runway would allow hundreds of thousands more flights a year.
The airport hopes to begin construction in early 2021, with the runway completed by the end of 2025.
Chancellor Philip Hammond (left) and Brexit Secretary David Davis were at Downing Street for the full Cabinet meeting today
Campaigners are worried about the potential environmental impact the runway might have
The proposals for a third runway at Heathrow have been controversial for many years