25/10/2016 London News

So, a green light for a third runway at Heathrow.

Tonight, a special programmd on what this major

Welcome to the programme on a day when the Government has

thrown its weight behind expanding Heathrow.

It has opted for building another runway there,

It's a more expensive option, costing nearly ?18 billion,

which would also mean around 80 homes being demolished

in the villages of Longford and Harmondsworth.

It's worth noting that Parlhament will then vote on this huge decision

affecting London at the end of next year at the earliest.

Tonight, our reporters are out across the capital getting

reaction to this news and the impact on London.

Over the next half hour, we'll be live in the villagd

of Harmondsworth with residdnts and at Westminster.

But first, let's cross to the place which is at the centre of all this,

Heathrow, and join our transport correspondent, Tom Edwards.

Yes, we're just on the edge of the southern runway. It's extrelely loud

and extremely busy. Planes are leaving here every 9

seconds. This airport is full to capacity. The new north-west runway

would be just to the north of here, beyond the control tower. You will

be able to see the red lights in the distance. This is Cranford, not far

from the airport. Over breakfast, most welcome the news today,

although most will want somd improvements. A third runwax

probably is necessary. You can see there's planes all around. So

probably it's a good thing. I think the traffic sometimes is re`lly bad

sometimes around Heathrow. Probably it will increase the traffic. So

they will need more motorwaxs, more roads? I think so, definitely, they

will need more access. It's good for the economy, for business, job wise.

I'm glad. Right here is where the new runway will be, and right at the

heart of the case for Heathrow, it's been about jobs and the economy And

while this is about global connections, it's also a very local

story. Many of the top 300 TK companies have headquarters within

15 miles of here. We've acttally delayed for far too many ye`rs. That

delay has put us behind our competitors in Europe, as ahrports.

Its freight companies like this one which give Heathrow the adv`ntage.

Its cargo and the combination with passengers which make the ndw long

haul routes viable. In 2013, 1. million tonnes of freight c`me

through Heathrow, worth ?133 billion. Nearly 80% of all

airfreight in the UK. Get qtick deals with a fraction of th`t -

100,000 tonnes. The growth that the UK needs, we are now looking at a

global market rather than jtst a European market. Most of th`t trade

will be with Europe, obviously, but the new, emerging markets of the

world need to be connected, and Heathrow is the appropriate airport.

Members were reminded of thd County Court in long tradition of

resistance... History shows that politics and runways do not mix

There have been proposals bdfore. In fact, no full-length runway has been

built in the south-east since the 1940s. As well as local opposition

at Heathrow, the extra cost for road and rail links varies betwedn 5

billion and 20 being pounds, and it includes putting the M25 into a

tunnel. And it's not clear who will pay for it. The big variabld on the

Heathrow side is the motorw`ys. Their proposal envisages thd M2

being put into a tunnel. Thdy will want to look at whether that can be

done more cheaply or efficidntly. Can we get more people onto the rail

or chew? That would be a far better solution, if we can do that instead.

A final decision on Heathrow remains years away. Expect challengds and

consultation. Businesses don't like that. And while some say it will

never be built, others say post-Brexit, a third runway is

needed more than ever. Let's hear now from the Mayor

of London, Sadiq Khan, Good evening to you. So, businesses

and saying, if we needed thhs before, then post-Brexit, wd needed

more than ever - do you agrde? I speak to businesses all the time.

You know what they need post-Brexit? Access to a single market. Xou know

what they need post-Brexit? The passport of financial services. They

also need the ability to attract talent. As a pro-business m`yor I

am lobbying the gun and to help me be business friendly, post-Brexit.

These plans are wrong for London, and one for the whole country. But

do you accept that the Gatwhck option will not create as m`ny jobs,

and not as much growth? I'vd looked carefully at all the options, and if

the Government was to give the green light to Gatwick, it leads to jobs,

growth, no public subsidy, the runway could be up and readx in the

middle of the next Parliament. Local councils want it, there are no noise

concerns, no air quality issues and a better Gatwick leads to more

competition for a better, r`ther than a bigger Heathrow. It hs a

win-win. Those at quality and noise pollution issues, they were still

there when you backed Heathrow development as Transport Secretary

in a previous Labour governlent We rehearsed these arguments dtring the

mayoral election. In 2014, `fter we lost the election, there was a

judgment which said that thd air was in breach of the air qualitx

directive. In 2014, after wd lost the election, 9400 Londoners died

because of poor air quality. There are children today whose lungs are

undeveloped cause of poor ahr quality. As we speak there `re more

people affected by noise, bx two runways, then are affected by the

airport in Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich and Madrid

combined. That's before a ndw runway. Are you saying you don't

believe the Transport Secretary and the Government when they sax they

are confident they can deal with these environment issues, or the

independent commission which looked at some of these things in detail

for two years? I think the reality is that they've underestimated

concerns around air quality, concerns around noise pollution but

also, as you touched upon in your report, the transport changds needed

for a new runway at Heathrow, the re-routing of the tunnel, the A ,

the rail links, cost ?15 billion. Who is going to pay for that? If you

feel that strongly, will yot be backing the four Tory-led councils

in their legal challenge, pttting your money where your mouth is, if

you like? It's not my money, it is London taxpayers' money. But I can

speak to those councils. We are exploring legal options. My primary

concern is the well-being of Londoners. I think runway three does

not help the health of Londoners, it is not help those communitids

regarding noise. I will be working with them to explore all legal

options. The previous Mayor of London threatened to lie down in

front of the bulldozers - what will you be doing in practical tdrms

other than talking to those councils? Well, let's talk first to

see how we can work together to explore the legal options. H think

the Government needs to unddrstand that at the moment, there is a court

case being taken challenging the Government's lack of action in

relation to Eric quality. I am an interested party in that ch`llenge.

I have announced a bold and ambitious plan to clean up the

airing London. I'm not being helped by these plans for Heathrow. Many

thanks for your time this evening. Well, people in one of the villages

which will be hugely affectdd by a third runway have also been

vocal about today's news. Let's find get more

from Alice Bhandhukravi, who is The words grief and bereavelent have

been used here today in reaction to the news that many of the homes and

businesses here will have to be demolished. There is a spechal

church service going on in the church behind me for local people,

and earlier today, I spoke to some of them as they faced the prospect

of losing their homes. We'vd been in this position now since the early

1990s. We actually lost a s`le of the house back in the late dight

years, wasn't it? Yes. And that was because of the threat of another

runway. Phil and Veronica h`ve lived here for more than 40 years. A new

what to expect of today's ddcision and are very clear about whx it was

made. It is business that h`s driven this, business have chucked the

money at it, business have wined and dined everybody. Harmondsworth is

their home. Heathrow, the thorn in their side. I don't trust ddmocracy

any more. A sentiment echoed by the local vicar. I think it goes a long

way to really tell us that politicians are never to be trusted.

Just a few streets down, Rox, the farmer whose family have bedn

working this land for six generations. A third runway will

plough straight through this field. It's very easy to wake up at four

o'clock in the morning and have the four o'clock flight, when you think

you're going to be evicted out of your home, out of your vill`ge, out

of an area where you've livdd for many years. The best thing to do is

to fight back, that's the w`y I feel about it. And I shall stay here to

the end and I shall fight thll the last man and the last round of

ammunition, if you like. It will come as no surprise that Rox fought

in the cavalry in the Second World War. He's made strong stuff. I want

to see my grandchildren, wh`tever happens, I want to see them settle

somewhere. For myself, I sh`ll stay here until the end, and if they want

to carry me out, that's absolutely fine. But I shall stay here until

the end. So, a very clear shtuation for those residents. But I `m joined

by two residents for whom things are a little bit less clear. First of

all come Steve - you had a long career working in air freight

services, so you know the ilportance of Heathrow airport, and yet you

live here in Harmondsworth `nd your home is going to be destroydd - how

is today's news for you? I think it's something we've been expecting

for a long time. With working at the airport, I can't deny, Heathrow

airport has been kind to me in terms of my career in air freight

transport. But ever since I've lived in this locality, I've seen the rise

of terminal four, then I've seen Terminal 5 being built. So H've

watched a gradual expansion of Heathrow over the years. And I've

always felt that a third runway all a further expansion was immhnent, it

was always going happen. Is it tricky living in this village and

having these opinions? I thhnk we've got split opinions. I know there's a

lot of outrage against the `irport expansion. But some people `re of

the same mindset as me - let's get it over and done with. Thank you

very much for talking to us. Alan, you're also in an unusual shtuation.

You are not going to have your home demolished, but you live on the

perimeter of the third runw`y, and as such, do you get compens`tion?

They've offered sound insul`tion and possibly buying the house. Don't

know yet. But that's not thd issue, we want to save the village and save

the community. It is not my intention to look for compensation

at the moment. Will you stax on I don't know, I hope so. We still hope

we will beat it, we're still fairly sure we will beat it. But I would

hope to stay on, yes. Thank you very much for talking to us. A complex

situation and still a lot more to investigate and to happen in the

coming years. But certainly a fighting spirit from here in

Harmondsworth. Let's turn to some of the other news today now.

A seven-mile stretch of the M4 heading towards London had to be

closed for most of the day after a lorry spilt

diesel over the road near the Hogarth roundabout.

It happened in the early hours of this morning,

causing huge queues in west and south-west London as a result.

Watford FC says it is conducting an internal investigation

following newspaper allegathons of financial wrongdoing whilst

The club says it had no prior knowledge of any concerns

about the authenticity of a document submitted by current

owner Gino Pozzo prior to the 2014-15 season.

Football fans will face enh`nced security checks when West H`m host

The match is deemed high-risk because of a history of anilosity

between supporters and problems at the stadium since the Halmers

After the fanfare of West H`m moving into their shiny new stadiul, the

reality of their new home is this. The fans are fighting amongst

themselves. There's people walking up with their kids crying. Trouble

has broken out at a number of fixtures. 23 banning orders have

been issued, nine arrests m`de. The Chelsea fixture is considerdd their

first high risk local derby. But even Hammers boss Slaven Bilic is

tired of answering questions on this topic. I am facing those kind of

questions week in, week out. All we can do is try to play good football

against Chelsea, in the London derby. It's a big name. Stadium

bosses have announced an enhanced body such policy for fans on

arrival, an alcohol ban frol mobile bars around the stadium and police

deployed within the stadium if required. The Met are still waiting

to install the permanent signal for its complications system at the

ground. A to Brewery solution has been agreed for tomorrow night all

fans have been advised to arrive early. -- a temporary soluthon.

Returning to that Heathrow decision now, and the news that Consdrvative

MP for Richmond Zac Goldsmith, a high-profile opponent

of Heathrow expansion, has resigned from the party.

Let's get more in this from our political

Karl - what has Zac Goldsmith had to say?

This evening, what we've had is the rarer occurrence of a polithcian

actually sticking to the promises they've made. Eight years ago, Zach

Goldsmith was selected as the candidate here in Richmond Park and

he said, of the Government go ahead with the third runway, I will resign

my seat and trigger a by-eldction. About 20 minutes ago, he cale here

to Barnes primary school and spoke to about 30 of his local association

members and said, I'm going to stick to my promise and was very scathing

about the Government's decision describing it as a millstond around

their neck. This is what he had to say. Today, as you know, I have to

honour my promise, and so I've resigned as your member of

Parliament and I will be st`nding in the by-election as an indepdndent

candidate. I know that therd will be some who see the Government's

decision today not as the ottrage that it is but as an opporttnity to

advance their party interests. But this election must be a refdrendum

on Heathrow expansion. It is our chance to send a message to

government and to Heathrow via the ballot box. So I'm asking you to

give me the mandate I need to continue fighting this fight. Thank

you. We're hearing tonight that the Conservatives will not put tp a

candidate to stand against Zac Goldsmith in that by-election? Yes.

I think that is a simple decision on the numbers. They have lookdd at

Zach Cole Smith's majority, currently 23,000, which went up by

18,000 at the last election, the biggest increase across the country.

I have looked at it and thotght this man will probably win `s an

independent. They've also thought, if we stick up a candidate, might we

let in the Lib Dems, who usdd to hold this seat for 13 years until

Zac Goldsmith won it in 2010. They will be aware that four loc`l

Conservative councils are planning legal action, and that Zac Goldsmith

has a lot of support in the local party here. More than 30 local

councillors have said they will go out and campaign for him. M`ny in

the room tonight say they whll do the same, campaigning for an

independent, even though thdy are Conservatives. They will face a

stiff challenge from the Liberal Democrats. We spoke to their

candidate earlier today... H think you can't trust the Conserv`tives on

this. They have said in the past, no ifs, no buts, no third runw`y, and

now they've gone back on th`t. Theresa May herself promised not to

expand Heathrow, and now shd has. The Liberal Democrats have been

completely consistent on thhs over many decades and we will continue to

fight Heathrow expansion in whichever way we can. So, the battle

lines are drawn. The Lib Dels, campaigning against Heathrow

expansion, and Zac Goldsmith doing exactly the same. When will it be?

We're expecting some time probably at the start of December. K`rl

Mercer, thank you very much. Well, on that note, our polhtical

editor, Tim Donovan, is in Westminster looking

at the potential political

ramifications of today's evdnts Let's get some reaction str`ightaway

from the Conservative MP for neighbouring Twickenham. But first,

Kwasi Kwarteng, LP for Spelthorne, friend of Zac Goldsmith but someone

who backs Heathrow expansion. What do you make of the fact that he has

gone ahead with his pledge to stand down but to stand as an inddpendent?

How think it's a great shamd that he felt that he had to leave the

Conservative Party. But obvhously, he made undertakings to his

constituents, and as a man of his word, he felt honour bound to resign

and stand again as an indepdndent. To do it straightaway and not wait

until a vote in a year's tile and cause this politically awkw`rd

by-election? I think Zac Goldsmith is someone who is a man of his word.

He sticks to what he says. H think it made sense for him, if hd was

going to resign, to do it today because this was when the bhg

announcement was made. You have on record recently said that you would

back his decision to do what he has done, and is that the case? Yes

I've always said exactly thd same, Zach Paul Smith is a man of his

word, he's honouring his plddge and I back him in that. We are both

trying to do the best for otr constituents and for London. And

Heathrow is not the answer. That's what this election should bd about.

So you back his decision, do you back him in this by-election

standing as an independent, not as a Conservative? Ryback him because it

is about Heathrow and Heathrow not being the answer. 1 million people

are going to be affect it, `nd there will be consultation on scrttiny but

I think it is very noble of Zac Goldsmith to put his marker down.

Does it make you feel that xou're being less noble, given that you're

not doing the same thing? I have always said as candidate and as MP,

I've always said I will fight as the MP and I would not resign. H've

already done a lot about He`throw's noise levels, I've already

challenged the Government and the secretaries of state about the

environment or pollution - H will continue to do that. Heathrow needs

to be better, not bigger fish for me, the fight was going to carry on

regardless of today's decishon. Do you think we've heard the

Conservatives are not going to put up a candidate against him , do you

think that is the right dechsion? I'm not sure. I'm not privy to those

decisions. What do you think of it? I think that it makes sense. Zac

Goldsmith is a popular membdr of Parliament, and he said cle`rly that

he would step down on this hssue. The party may feel that thex don't

want to give so much publichty to the fight against him. And H believe

he has the backing of his local party. So for the party to hmpose

another candidate would be difficult. On the substantive issue,

why do you believe it will be any more likely that we can delhver

Heathrow now than it proved a few years ago? There is a big fdnce -

the Government has now made a decision and is showing leadership.

-- there is a big differencd. We have 12 years of prevaricathon. It

was in 2003 after all that the Labour government put forward that

white paper which recommenddd expanding Heathrow. And 13 xears

later we've actually got a Prime Minister who has had the cotrage to

press on with it. And we've had the Davies Commission, which cost ? 0

million and came up with very much the same answer. What is thdre in

that logic that you can't sde? What I see is the data since those years,

the data getting stronger and stronger, showing us not just about

air pollution, but about nohse pollution and the medical effects.

Since 2003, we have evidencd of noise pollution affecting children's

reading comp retention and long term memory. That's why I asked the

Secretary of State today... Things are different? They are not. George

Osborne, the last Chancellor, Chancellor for six years, c`me out a

few weeks ago and said, we should get on with Heathrow. The problem

is, we've got to do something, we can't just pretend that there is not

kind to be any economic growth and people will not be able to travel.

All the objections to airport expansion will be repeated hn

Gatwick, in the estuary, amdnities will be affected and will fdel that

they do not want to proceed. Heathrow is number one, it has a

proven track record, internationally, and we want to

consolidate that position. Hn this instance, you're going to gdt the

last word, we are out of tile! Back to you.

Well, let's not forget Gatwhck was the other option the Government

had to increase aviation capacity in the South-East.

And whilst some residents s`y they're relieved at today's

decision, others have vowed to continue to fight for Gatwick

It is Britain's busiest single runway airport. Gatwick had wanted

another runway, and campaigned hard, saying it would be quicker `nd

cheaper. The option may havd been rejected by the Government, but

bosses at Gatwick say they will continue to lobby for a second

runway. Personally I don't think that a runway will be delivdred at

Heathrow in my lifetime. We feel as though we put forward a verx strong

case for Gatwick expansion which was the best case. But one thing is for

certain, what we will do is to maintain our offer to government.

Gatwick has a very credible will come as a blow to many businesses in

the south-east. A second runway at Gatwick was projected to le`d to

30,000 jobs by 2050. But for campaigners across Kent and Sussex

who are against the expansion, anxious about noise and pollution,

there was relief but no celdbration. There's been no cheering today. We

are relieved, very relieved but we do not wish it on anybody. We've

always said we should use the spare capacity at the airports whhch exist

in the north. The facts spoke for themselves, we are delighted the

minister has listened to thd facts. We have to keep campaigning... So, a

decision by the Government hn the great runway debate, but thd

campaign more for and against look set to continue.

Let's get a check on the we`ther now, with Jay Wynne.

Starting with the satellite sequence it shows that we started off rather

cloudy. Early rain soon fizzled out. Pretty quiet for the first part of

the night. We got light winds, and with that comes the risk of some fog

developing by the end of thd night, all to the west of London. Some of

that could be quite dense. Temperatures will not be dropping

away too far. But the fog could be quite dense as I say, with

visibility up and down tomorrow morning. Bear that in mind hf you're

up and about. It will shift eventually, and by the afternoon it

looks pretty good. With the south-westerly breeze, it whll be

very mild. Heading out for the evening, no problem with we`ther. We

keep that gentle south-westdrly breeze and there will be variable

amounts of cloud overnight. Thursday looks like a pretty decent day,

settled with high pressure hn charge. However, early in the

morning on Thursday, there hs the risk of some fork. It is a pretty

decent afternoon once again, and still quite mild. Not a gre`t deal

of change as we head towards the end of the week. May be some fork to

start. And by the afternoon, mostly fine and dry.

A final thought on the Government's decision to give the go-ahe`d

Let's go back to our transport correspondent Tom Edwards,

What struck me was how we are seeing infrastructure now through the lens

of Brexit. Listen to what the Government had to say - this is a

central part of the Governmdnt's plan to build a global Brit`in. The

problem with that is, the opposition is still huge and it is still

influential, like Zac Goldslith That means we could have potentially

years of legal challenges and consultations. I don't think this is

the end at all. This is just another beginning. Tom, thank you.

More reaction on that Heathrow decision on our website

I'll be back later during the Ten O'Cclock News.

From all the team here, thanks for joining us,