LIB DEMS FORCE MAYOR TO OPPOSE THIRD RUNWAY AT HEATHROW

5.13.41pm GMT Tue 19th Dec 2006

London Assembly Liberal Democrats have won a major achievement today in forcing the Mayor to come out against any prospect of a third runway and a sixth terminal at Heathrow airport.

The Mayor has previously avoided addressing the issue.

Liberal Democrat Deputy Chair of the London Assembly, Sally Hamwee, said:

"I'm glad the Mayor has finally recognised the environmental blight that a third runway and a sixth terminal would bring to Londoners. But his answer today shows that a cross-party consensus against this illogical development should be listened to not only by the airline industry, who are the only ones calling for the expansion, but also by the Mayor's own Labour government.

'I shall be ensuring that Ken Livingstone lives up to his words and joins with me in every single possible campaign to stop the threat of Heathrow expansion." ENDS