Labour Party Is Likely To Oppose Plan Endorsed By The Airports Commission

U.K. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn says air pollution should be a primary campaign issue over the next year, and according to a memo to senior party leaders, believes that a third runway at Heathrow Airport will only make what he describes as a bad problem worse.

Corbyn was elected leader of the Labour Party in September.

Buying Business Travel relays a report from the U.K. newspaper The Independent, which was leaked a copy of the memo. "One issue that I want us to highlight over the next few months is the Government’s dreadful record on air quality and the more than 50,000 premature deaths a year it is estimated this causes," the memo said.

Corbyn said in the memo that air pollution was pushed into the spotlight by the revelation that computers in Volkswagen Diesel engines were programmed to provide false readings when connected to emissions monitoring equipment. One party source told the paper that Corbyn has made it clear that he expects the Labor party to oppose the third runway at Heathrow based on potential increases in air pollution.

"It's now up the government to decide what to do," the source told the paper.

(Image provided by Heathrow Airport)

FMI: www.labour.org.uk