Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay, has joined with Business chiefs and MPs from across Cornwall write to the new Transport Secretary saying Brexit means airport expansion is all the more vital to the prosperity of the nations and regions.
An influential group of Cornish business chiefs and politicians have joined forces to pen a joint letter to the new Transport Secretary Chris Grayling MP which calls on the government to deliver a rapid decision to build a new runway in London and the South East following the decision to leave the EU.
The letter has been coordinated by the airport expansion campaign group Let Britain Fly.
The letter reads:
“We are writing to express our concern with regards to the latest delay in making a final decision on airport expansion.
It has now been over a year since the Airports Commission published its final report and while each of the schemes shortlisted was considered a credible option, unanimously concluded a new runway at Heathrow presents the strongest case. This followed two and a half years of examining the evidence, at a cost of millions of pounds to the tax-payer. Yet it is regrettable that we still don’t have a final decision and there has now been yet another delay.
It is clear that following the vote to leave the EU the economic case for a new runway has never been stronger. In order to do more trade with the rest of the globe, especially growth economies like Brazil and China, then having sufficient air links to those countries is essential. Yet at present our connectivity to these markets is not as good as some of our competitors. If we are to have a coherent plan for Britain to chart its future relationship with the EU and the world, then fast-tracking a new runway must be front and centre of such a plan.
Furthermore the decision to build a new runway is not just about London and the South East, it is a decision that affects the economic prosperity of the nations and regions of the UK, including perceived peripheral regions such as Cornwall.
By value, 40% of all UK exports go via air, this includes iconic British goods such as Cornish clotted cream. Furthermore, London’s airports play a key role in supporting Cornwall’s thriving tourism sector and in helping us to attract increasing numbers of international high value visitors.
And whilst Cornwall Airport Newquay is lucky to currently have connections to both Gatwick and Stansted airports, we have no connection to our only international hub airport Heathrow.
Having more available slots into our capital city is something we believe our region would benefit from hugely, in terms of the economic opportunity it would provide to create better connectivity to both national and global markets and in strengthening those we have already developed here.
Every additional period of delay will cost the UK billions in lost trade and investment and damage our competiveness.
We therefore urge that the government now makes rapid progress and that a decision on airport expansion should be one of the first big decisions of the new Prime Minister.”
Commenting, Steve said:
“Now our new Prime Minister and her Cabinet are getting on with running the country, we need to ensure that important decisions outstanding from the previous leadership are made, and soon.”
“I have always been clear that a third runway for Heathrow is vital for both the connectivity of Cornwall and the rest of the UK, as an outward thinking, international power and am pleased to join with others to make this call for action. I hope the new Transport Secretary listens and makes the right decision soon.”