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Brown rejects MPs' call for airport vote
Nicholas Cecil, Chief Political Correspondent18 Dec 2008
GORDON Brown today refused to agree to MPs' demands for a vote on plans for a third runway at Heathrow.
Labour rebel MPs have raised the prospect of a humiliating defeat for the Prime Minister in a parliamentary showdown over the airport's expansion.
About 100 MPs, including at least 41 Labour backbenchers, have signed an Early Day Motion on Heathrow demanding a Commons vote. Many more are expected to support the call.
Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon has made it clear he is opposed to such a move. Downing Street refused to give ground today, with the Prime Minister's official spokesman saying: "The third runway has been subject to extensive consultation and debated in the House of Commons already."
Reading West Labour MP Martin Salter, the party's vice-chairman on the environment, leading the revolt, said they were calling on the Government not to proceed with the third runway "without giving the House of Commons a chance to debate the issue".
Mr Salter's motion has been signed by six former Labour ministers, including Greenwich and Woolwich MP Nick Raynsford, Tory MP for Putney Justine Greening and Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Norman Baker.
The 41 rebels could overturn the Government's Commons majority. The Cabinet is split over the issue with some senior ministers voicing concerns.
Reader views (5)
This is a leopard who can't change his spots. The dirty little secret is that via the internet huge numbers of West Londoners are well aware of the grubby games Labour has and continues to play with asthma rates for our children and the life expectancy of our most vulnerable. The voters - some 2 million of us, are all too aware that DFT and BAA have moved NOX sensors to drive down levels artificially. We know of large numbers of labour party activists that have moved to comfortable BAA jobs, we know Hoon and Mandelson have serious question marks as to integrity and probity and we know that Gordon has taken 250 million for cross rail from BAA. It stinks, this governments twisting, turning sliming approach stinks. We will ensure that no changes of any kind will happen at Heathrow apart from its lomg term closure over the next 20 years. Real innovation in thinking to compete needs to emulate Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt - build a new airport with all the capacity needed away from the most densley populate place in Europe. Under Brown and Hoon we will be more like Chennai than the Financial Capital of the world if their insanity comes to pass.
- Christian Ball, London, UK, 19/12/2008 13:14
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He got the job without an election so you do'nt think he is suddenly going to introduce democracy into his Party do you? How naive! That will be the day when you get democracy from a Socialist government!
- Alan, Chigwell. UK, 19/12/2008 09:52
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Welcome to Gordon Brown's Democracy. Sure it's been debated but who really thinks that MPs ever has a chance to influence the outcome. You don't get this sort of opposition unless MPs smell a rat and this rat smells of collusion, dodgy dossiers and outright lies resulting in illegal levels of pollution for London.
- Rich, London, 18/12/2008 17:03
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We don't want democracy breaking out all over the place do we Brown.
- Frank, Home Counties, England, 18/12/2008 16:16
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Democratic vote in the House - Dordon won't stand for that. As always he knows what people really want, so no need to let elected members vote on it. They'll only get the decision WRONG. Wake up all those who voted Labour at the last election - time is running out. Quote from todays London Metro:
'Recession' is when your neighbour loses their job
'Depression' is when you lose your job
'Recovery' is when Gordon Brown loses his job
- Malcolm, London, 18/12/2008 14:09
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