With not only the decision to back a third runway at Heathrow, and the obvious loss of flights and customers thereby incurred by all northern airports, but also the revelations made by Lisa Nandy to the House of Commons about ministers being warned of "impending chaos" on the Northern rail network two years ago, Labour has been gifted another electoral opportunity (Ministers "were warned of Northern rail chaos", 21/06/18). It is imperative for all Labour MPs to stress both that the Tories` preference for massive investment in the south-east is deliberately increasing the north-south wealth gap, and that all constituents in Tory-held areas in Scotland, Wales and northern and western areas of England have been betrayed by the government.
Even so-called "moderate" MPs should be able to present a united front on this issue, and rally round a leadership demanding investment outside the London area. It`s a no-brainer!
The decision to expand Heathrow highlights once again this government`s insistence on giving investment preference to London and the south-east. Gaby Hinsliff states that "the feeling that the government can`t even be trusted with the basics" is growing around Liverpool and Manchester, but it hasn`t needed a rail crisis to cause that! The number of people in the north of England and Scotland who have to get to Heathrow to catch flights out has grown inexorably in recent years. A "multimillion-pound project to connect London to the rest of the planet" would be unnecessary if some northern airports were expanded, and the number of point to point flights from them increased!
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