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So we have finally have lift off. After years of sitting on the runway, with the cabin crew and assorted passengers immersed in argument as to which course of travel would be the right one, Captain May has listened to the advice of air traffic control and taken a decisive action, once and for all. Or has she?
On the face of it, the big news in Westminster this week was the announcement that the Government’s preferred option for airport expansion is a new runway at Heathrow. And when I say Government, I mean some of the Government. With all the grace and skill of an Ed Balls’s performance on Strictly, Boris Johnson immediately denounced the decision, stating the third runway “will be stopped”. We’re told Justine Greening will be given license to oppose her own Government on this one as well. After all, Cabinet disunity worked so well during the referendum.
To be fair to the Government, we sort of know where they stand. Has anyone managed to identify the Labour Party position yet? Answers on a postcard please.
The decision also had ramifications in Parliament. Zac Goldsmith summoned all of his anger and chastised Transport Secretary Chris Grayling. During Zac’s performance, one could not help but be reminded of Denis Healey’s “savaged by a dead sheep” quip to Geoffrey Howe in 1978.
Goldsmith promptly resigned his Richmond seat and will run as an independent, with the Tories refusing to field a candidate. For all of you asking what £230,000 buys you these days, “a pointless by-election in a sleepy suburb” was probably not the answer you were looking for. Having said that, the Lib Dems don’t see it as pointless – they’re gearing up to unseat everyone’s favourite failed Mayoral candidate which sets up a mouthwatering contest for Britain’s by-election anoraks. Watch this space.
So we have to wait a year for the actual decision as the preferred option goes out to “consultation”. Perhaps we should run a sweepstake on how many runways will be built in China in that time. I’m guessing somewhere between 3 - 5.
You’d be forgiven for thinking Heathrow was the only game in town this week, but you’d be wrong. Everyone’s favourite subject, Brexit, continues to rumble. With the Government machine demonstrating such superb judgment and pithy decision-making prowess in relation this week, it really makes you confident that we are equipped to deal with the upcoming Brexit negotiations.
Well known Uniter-in-chief, Nigel Farage went to Brussels to deliver a speech the sole purpose of which seems to have been to alienate everyone whose first name is not Nigel, and whose surname is not Farage. Thanks Nige for doing your bit for Britain. Labour also unveiled its new slogan for Brexit: “A People’s Brexit for the many”. With pithy slogans like that, how can they fail to win the next election?
On the legislative front, it seems the Tories have dropped the Education Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech. The Bill would have compelled all schools in England to become academies, but has seemingly been dropped after strong opposition. The announcement was snuck out in a written Parliamentary statement by Justine Greening, which had the desired effect of dampening the coverage of yet another Government u-turn.
So in effect the Government has just u-turned on a big policy item in the face of large opposition. And you’re telling me Heathrow is a done deal? Perhaps we don’t have lift-off after all.