Tories betraying Heathrow promise

11.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 1st Oct 2007

London's Liberal Democrat MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford has slammed the Conservatives for reversing a promised commitment to oppose the expansion of airports in and around London.

Their stance now, as expressed by George Osborne on the BBC Today programme, is merely to say that issues like a third runway at Heathrow would be 'dealt with through the planning process'.

Sarah Ludford responded:

"We are now seeing the real Tory party on display, shorn of the green camouflage worn for such a short time. Just as when David Cameron rode a bike followed by a car pumping out emissions to carry his briefcase, caring about airport over-expansion was pure spin."

"Like Gordon Brown's Labour party, David Cameron's Conservatives are failing to face up to the immense challenge of climate change. Only the Liberal Democrats, in opposing expansion at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, can be trusted to do so."

"The Tories have also reverted to type and joined the Labour party in kow-towing to BA and BAA big business rather than listening to local residents. Unless stopped by Euro-regulation on noise and air pollution, both these parties intend to ride roughshod over concerns about health, stress and quality of life."

Susan Kramer, MP for Richmond Park and a long-standing campaigner against further expansion at Heathrow, has also expressed her anger at the Conservatives. Susan said:

"Local people rightly feel betrayed that the Tory Party has abandoned its commitment to protect local residents. The planning system has offered little protection to local people in the past and we have no faith that it will protect us in the future."