‘When it comes to Heathrow expansion, it’s time to take off’

For over a decade, as Leader of Ealing Council, I navigated the Heathrow expansion debate with one eye on the concerns of residents and the other on the economic realities of our borough. The public position of the Council and the Labour Group was opposition. But if you look closely at what we actually did, you will see a more complicated picture.

We never joined the legal challenges against expansion pursued by other boroughs. I refused to waste hundreds of thousands of pounds of council taxpayers’ money on litigation when that money was needed for services. I described our role as that of a “critical friend rather than foe”. I pushed Heathrow hard—demanding a ban on night flights, noise insulation for thousands of homes, a £190 million compensation package, and commitments on jobs and apprenticeships for our young people. I wanted careers, not just jobs. 

And quietly, over time, the Council’s position shifted. We moved from outright opposition to a more neutral stance. We recognised that Heathrow was too important to the lives and livelihoods of our residents to be treated as an enemy. The study I commissioned with Hounslow and Slough Councils into Boris Johnson’s “Boris Island” proposal had made that starkly clear: 30% of jobs in Southall and 15% in Northolt would be lost if Heathrow ever closed. Many thousands of direct and indirect jobs, concentrated in some of the most deprived parts of our borough. Opposition without nuance was never an option I could accept.

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I also sat on the Heathrow Employment and Skills Commission, chaired by Lord David Blunkett, which examined the employment implications of expansion in depth. I saw first-hand the scale of opportunity a third runway would bring—and the risk to those opportunities if the airport was allowed to stagnate.

But I did not go far enough. I stopped at neutrality. I did not take the next step—to say openly that expansion was the right decision, and that the balance of the argument had tipped in its favour. That would have meant taking on the arguments of those opposed within the local Labour Party and the community—even though our own council polling showed a silent majority of Ealing residents actually supported expansion. It would have meant leaning into a stiff wind when the easier path was to maintain the status quo. I chose the easier path. Looking back, with the benefit of 20 years as a councillor and 30-plus years of active politics behind me, I wish I had not.

The conditions for expansion have only strengthened since I left office. And on the environmental concerns that rightly dominated the debate, Heathrow has delivered real, binding progress.

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The night flight ban I demanded—a 6.5-hour scheduled ban—is now in place, addressing one of the most persistent sources of distress for residents under the flight path. Heathrow has committed to insulating around 20,000 homes through its Residential Insulation Scheme, with delivery now under way in the communities most affected by aircraft noise. The airport has committed to being car-free for passengers by 2030 and to expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone across the campus. On carbon, net-zero airport operations by 2030 is a binding target, backed by investment in sustainable aviation fuels that offer a genuine pathway to decarbonising aviation. These are not aspirational promises. They are the result of years of pressure from local leaders who insisted that expansion could not come at any cost.

The economic case has only grown more urgent. Crossrail—the Elizabeth Line—transformed our borough. I worked constructively with Crossrail to secure improvements to Ealing Broadway station, and today it stands as proof that large-scale transport infrastructure, properly delivered, brings lasting benefits for residents. A third runway at Heathrow is the same kind of opportunity: thousands of construction jobs, followed by thousands of permanent jobs, securing the airport’s future as the largest single-site employer in the country. For a young person growing up in Southall or Northolt, that means a world-class employer on their doorstep and a career path that does not require leaving west London.

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I am no longer a councillor. I am no longer constrained by group positions or the immediate pressures of the next election. Looking back, I am proud that we moved the Council to a more balanced position—one that recognised both the legitimate concerns of residents and the economic importance of the airport. But I also recognise that we did not go far enough. We stopped at neutrality when the argument for expansion had already become compelling.

The country needs growth. Ealing needs jobs. Our young people need opportunity. The third runway at Heathrow would deliver all three. I say this now to encourage current leaders—in Ealing, in west London, and across the Labour movement—not to stop at neutrality.

It is time to go further. It is time to lean into a stiff wind. It is time for take-off.