Business leaders and unions have called on the Prime Minister to approve construction of a third runway at Heathrow.
Gordon Brown is expected to give the go-ahead to the third runway this week, according to reports.
More than 50 Labour MPs as well as the Conservative Party are opposed to the expansion. An environment protest is scheduled to take place at Heathrow’s Terminal 1 tonight to demonstrate against the plans.
The Future Heathrow Group, which involves leading members from the UK’s business community and trade unions, have taken out advertisements in the national press stating the runway at Heathrow is vital for jobs, economic growth, investment and the long-term competitiveness of the UK’s economy.
Confederation of British Industry director-general Richard Lambert, said: “Heathrow is our gateway to the world and we need to ensure that it remains a world-class airport, capable of serving the needs of a global economy.
“With the airport at capacity, Heathrow’s status as a global hub is under threat. A third runway is vital to maintaining the UK’s economic competitiveness, and provided the environmental conditions are met, will put us ahead of the game when the economic upturn comes by providing greater capacity and better access to key markets, such as India and China.”
Trades Union Congress deputy general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Aviation is key to the UK economy and the unions are committed to supporting the sustainable development of Heathrow – not only leading to the creation of many more quality jobs but also meeting local noise and air quality standards, and ensuring that CO2 emissions from aviation growth are consistent with the UK’s new carbon budgets.”
BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said: “A third runway will only go ahead if strict environmental limits are met. We are confident that they will be and have requested that the Government appoint an independent assessor to ensure that the environmental limits will be adhered to.”
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