Ed Miliband reveals why he’s not stepping down over Heathrow expansion

Ed Miliband has backed a third runway being built at Heathrow – and has told Metro why he’s not going to leave his job over it. The Energy Secretary has spent years campaigning against the UK’s largest and busiest airport being expanded, and threatened to resign from the government over the proposal in 2009 and voted against it in 2018. This is because he was concerned that building a third runway would go against Labour’s previous plans to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.

But last week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed the government backing a third runway at Heathrow Airport, in a bid to give the UK economy a much-needed boost. The announcement has faced criticism from climate change activists, who say the airport is one of the biggest single sources of greenhouse gases in the UK, with the local area facing more air and noise pollution. Despite Miliband previously being on the side of campaigners, he told the PA news agency that he now wouldn’t resign over Heathrow’s expansion.

Outlining his reasons why this morning, he told Metro: ‘There’s so much to fight for now. ‘This is a decision that’s going to take place some years away. I don’t think walking away would do anything for the climate. ‘I’m determined to fight to put in place the best things we can, because I think that the climate crisis is the fight of our time, but it’s also the fight for energy security and good jobs.

‘I know that Keir [Starmer] and Rachel [Reeves] believe that too.’. Miliband added: ‘Our position is not that everyone should stop flying, it’s clearly not the right position. Nor is our position to have business as usual and you can just ignore all the targets. ‘It’s always seemed to me that the right thing to do is that you can have aviation expansion, but it’s got to meet strict environmental targets.’.

The energy secretary declined to repeat the chancellor’s mooted 2035 date for the first planes to take off from the new runway, saying: ‘Now the onus is on [Heathrow] to come forward with a proposal.’. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has continued to be vocal in his opposition to the development following Reeves’s announcement. He recently told Metro: ‘The issue is can you have a new runway at Heathrow that addresses the issues and concerns there are, particularly when it’s possible to have a new runway at Gatwick, Stansted expanded, Luton expanded, and City Airport already given green light for the expansion.

‘So I query the demand for this new runway at Heathrow, particularly in light of the challenges there are.’. Miliband was at Swiss Cottage Community Centre in north-west London this morning to meet private renters as he launched a drive to get landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. Currently, private rental homes are only required to meet an energy efficiency rating of E – but the government plans to push that up to C in an effort to combat fuel poverty.

Metro spoke to him over bottles of brown sauce, ketchup and vinegar at a noisy cafe after he left his meeting. He said: ‘Honestly, listening to some of the folk in there about their experiences with private landlords, this is long overdue, because lots of people are facing really difficult circumstances. ‘Holes in windows, really substandard accommodation, mould, things that really need dealing with. This proposal doesn’t do everything, but it is an important step on that journey.’.

The policy is separate from the flagship Renters’ Rights Bill, which also proposes wide-ranging reforms to the private rental sector. Miliband rejected the suggestion landlords might feel targeted by the government, saying: ‘This is simply about saying we believe that if you pay your rent, you have a right to live in a decent, warm home. ‘I don’t think that’s a very controversial position.’.

He said he still believes in household bill reductions of ‘up to £300’ by 2030 which was a key plank of Labour’s election campaign last year – though he described it as an ‘objective’ rather than a pledge. Energy prices have risen in recent months, something the energy secretary blamed on ‘global pressures’ and ‘geopolitics’ linked to fossil fuels which could be solved with ‘clean, home-grown power’.

However, the Conservatives have argued the announcement today will ‘do nothing to lower energy bills in this country.’. Shadow Energy Secretary Andrew Bowie said: ‘Labour are proposing burdening landlords with heavy costs, which will inevitably be passed onto renters, instead of working to deliver cheaper and more secure energy for this country.’. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.