Sadiq Khan has said he remains opposed to Heathrow expansion, while refusing to co-sign a letter to the Chancellor setting out his concerns about a third runway. The London mayor was asked about airport expansion on Thursday by Zack Polanksi, the Green Party’s deputy leader and a member of the London Assembly.
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00:00We've spoken about aviation a lot over the years and it's good to see your journey on this because
00:05it sounds increasingly you're becoming more and more clear that aviation expansion is not
00:09compatible with the net zero target as outlined in the Committee on Climate Change but also in your
00:14own accelerated green pathway. Drilling down into the detail, maybe that's a bad metaphor,
00:20but looking at the Airport National Policy Statement, the ANPS, in 2022 this is the same
00:25statement that essentially enables heathrow expansion. You said that this needed to be
00:29suspended immediately at a bare minimum. You said that to the previous government,
00:34what are you saying to the new government? I'm against heathrow expansion. I think
00:39heathrow should be better, not bigger. Good, and so with the ANPS, because that is the mechanism
00:44in order to stop heathrow expansion, are you calling on this new government to also suspend
00:49that ANPS at a bare minimum? I've made clear my views on heathrow expansion. We've not discussed
00:56the issue of the policy he refers to. Thanks, so that's good to hear on heathrow expansion. Let's
01:02discuss the ANPS. You said to the last government that it should be suspended with immediate effect.
01:07What are you saying to the new government? As I said in my answer, any aviation expansion
01:14has got to be compatible with our climate change commitments. I welcome, in fact,
01:19statements from both the Chancellor and the Prime Minister in relation to this issue.
01:22The Chancellor said we would need to look at all evidence, including around the environment,
01:28and the Prime Minister said any conditions under which future expansion would happen would only
01:34happen if they were consistent with our binding climate change obligations, and also around noise
01:40pollution, and also around air pollution. So those are words, and I admit they're good words,
01:45they're not action. So for a third time, you said to the previous government to suspend the ANPS
01:49with immediate effect as a minimum. What are you saying to the new government specifically on ANPS
01:55with immediate effect? I can repeat what I said three minutes ago, which is I've had no
01:59conversations with the government about the ANPS. The government knows my views. Thank you, we commit
02:03to talking to the new government. You said that you're going to write a letter to Rachel Rees,
02:06you said that earlier today. Would you remind her about your comments about the ANPS?
02:10I'm sure the government's well aware of my comments around the aviation expansion. The
02:15Member is, of course, open to send the Chancellor and the Prime Minister what I've said in answer
02:18to his question three minutes ago. Thank you. So would you co-write a
02:22letter with me to the Chancellor repeating your statement about the ANPS? Because it's
02:27really important that if we want to stop Heathrow expansion, as I hear that you do, and that's great,
02:32the way to stop it is by making sure the ANPS is suspended with immediate effect.
02:37If you're not willing to do that, it sounds like you are saying that you want Heathrow expansion
02:42to be stopped, but you're not willing to take the action that would make that happen.
02:46The Deputy Leader of the Green Party can write to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor. He's
02:50welcome to do so. He won't be surprised to hear I won't be co-signing a letter with the Deputy
02:54Leader of the Green Party. Thank you. So I think people have heard
02:56that the Green Party are showing climate leadership on this and the Mayor's just talking.
03:00Unless it goes through the backyard. We saw the Green MP, who's for renewables.
03:04When it goes through his backyard, he's suddenly against renewables. Have you taken action against
03:08him? Have you disciplined him? I mean, that's completely not true. But if we want to talk
03:11about other parties, should we talk about your gifts from United Airlines from the conversation?
03:15Have you taken action against him? Is this climate leadership? Thank you very much.
03:19No further questions. It's Green hypocrisy, Mr. Mayor.
03:21So poor, so poor. This is not Assembly Member's question
03:24time. It's Mayor's question time. He's the Deputy of the Green Party,
03:26showing some leadership, surely. The Mayor of London is not going to show
03:30any leadership. Green hypocrisy. We see it every day in Parliament.
03:36You know you can carry on. It's just your time you're wasting.
03:40We'll move on to the next question and forget that ever happened.