Ed Miliband says he will not resign if Government backs Heathrow expansion
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Ed Miliband has said he will not resign if the Government backs a third runway at Heathrow. The Energy Secretary, who has vocally opposed the west London airport’s expansion in the past, told the PA news agency that the Government can meet both its growth and net-zero missions together.
Asked if he will consider resigning if the Government gives the go-ahead to another Heathrow runway, he said: “Don’t be ridiculous, no.”. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to use a speech on growth next week to support the proposed third runway, and to endorse expansion at Gatwick and Luton.
Mr Miliband said the Government’s position is for any aviation expansion to take place within the UK’s carbon budgets, which are part of plans to meet the country’s 2050 target of reducing emissions by 100% compared with 1990 levels. Independent government advisers on the Climate Change Committee (CCC) have called for no net airport expansion without a proper national plan to curb emissions from the sector and manage passenger capacity.
Mr Miliband said: “What the Climate Change Committee says is that we’ve got to make sure any decisions we make on aviation including expansion take place within our carbon budgets. “And they are 100% right about that and that’s absolutely the position of the Government.
