Planes, Pains And The Third Runway Proposals

It seems that the prospect of ‘Boris Island’ has only made the Government more determined to gain approval for a third runway at Heathrow.

“Transport sources told The Times that the Government was determined to make the third runway happen, despite widespread opposition from the environmental lobby and the possibility of an independent review delaying the project.

…

The Times understands that Ruth Kelly, the Transport Secretary, strongly supports the proposal and is likely to make the announcement in its favour as early as November.”

Boris’s opposition to the third runway is unlikely to make his own proposals any more palatable for environmental groups, who have already described them as being “catastrophic” for birds and other forms of wildlife.

So then, a rather interesting power struggle has developed, but it’s one that Team Boris – plausibly stung by the midly bemused coverage – is apparently backing away from.