Labour MPs could use Heathrow as test case to set their own policy

An upcoming vote on Heathrow airport expansion could work as test case for Labour MPs as they explore new ways of determining policy when there is a clash of opinions with the leadership.

The Government is finally expected to come to a long-awaited decision on whether to expand Heathrow, Gatwick or another option in the coming weeks, and the subsequent vote is likely to be the first policy dispute between Jeremy Corbyn and his MPs since he was re-elected leader last week.

Corbyn is opposed to a new runway at Heathrow, as is Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell – who was once suspended from the House of Commons after a heated debate on the issue resulted in him wielding the mace.

But most of the Parliamentary Labour Party are believed to be in favour of the Heathrow option, and Corbyn yesterday that it is “not easy” to whip backbenchers into doing something they do not agree with, following free votes on Syria and Trident over the last year.

“What I’ve discovered is whipping Labour when Labour doesn’t want to be whipped is not an easy thing to do,” Corbyn told The Guardian.

Now rumours suggest that MPs have devised a new plan to play a more active role in shaping party policy.

There are thought to be plans afoot to invoke the powers of Parliamentary Labour Party’s (PLP) departmental committees to make input on the party’s Heathrow stance. The committees are chaired by Labour backbenchers, voted in by their fellow MPs. After last year’s elections saw a number of high-profile names take on the positions, I wrote:

“The committees perform a theoretically similar role to select committees, but for Labour backbenches to hold the Labour frontbenches to account… my understanding is that these committees have the right to be consulted on policy in their areas – and possibly even the right to get a nod on policy, in a similar way to the Shadow Cabinet. This could mean that the PLP effectively gets a veto on policy. If they do have that power, and they choose to use it, this could make a huge difference to how the Labour Party works under Corbyn.”

Government sources suggest that a decision on Heathrow will be announced around October 18, with a vote before the end of the month.

The rumoured PLP plans are for a report on the policy to be published by the backbench transport committee, chaired by Gavin Shuker, around that time. The findings of the report, including a policy position, would then be debated at a Monday night PLP meeting in Parliament, before MPs vote on what policy to adopt the following day. It would almost certainly lead to a pro-Heathrow stance.

What that would mean for Labour’s ‘official’ policy is not completely clear – expect a free vote in any case. But what it would do is set a precedent for the Labour leader and Labour backbenchers officially taking different positions on an issue, and would see the PLP gain some autonomy from the leadership.