Airport Expansion – Heathrow

I believe that pressing ahead with airport expansion – unless it can be shown that ground-level development would lead to environmental improvements and is not just about accommodating increasing carbon in our atmosphere – would be a serious mistake, one that undermines our net-zero commitments and does little to support sustainable economic growth.

A reliable and safe transport system is vital for our economy, but it must also align with our responsibility to tackle climate change and air pollution. Expanding airport capacity without a clear plan to manage emissions flies in the face of the UK’s climate targets.

Independent analysis from the New Economics Foundation suggests that Heathrow expansion alone would cancel out the carbon savings from the government’s Clean Power Plan within just five years. Expanding Gatwick and Luton airports would eliminate these climate benefits by 2050. This simply isn’t a price we can afford to pay.

There is also little economic justification for such expansion. Peer-reviewed studies confirm that since 2015, the growth in air travel has failed to boost UK productivity or GDP. Even government ministers have acknowledged that any airport expansion must be justified within our carbon budgets—a test that, based on the evidence, these proposals fail.

That’s why the Liberal Democrats have committed to a moratorium on net airport expansion until a proper national capacity and emissions management framework is in place. We oppose the expansion of Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, and London City airports, as well as any new airport in the Thames Estuary. Investing in greener transport alternatives—such as improved rail infrastructure—would be a far better way to boost connectivity while staying true to our climate commitments.

If the government is serious about economic growth, it should focus on practical solutions, not false promises. That means listening to Liberal Democrat calls to rebuild our relationship with Europe, including negotiating a new UK-EU customs union to support businesses, trade, and jobs. Rather than pushing through environmentally damaging airport expansions, ministers should be cutting red tape and fixing the Brexit deal that continues to hold our economy back.

I will continue to stand against reckless airport expansion and push for a transport policy that serves both our economy and our planet.