‘Crack on’ with Heathrow expansion or lose out, May is warned

The director of the CBI Carolyn Fairbairn is among major business organisations calling on Prime Minister Theresa May to ensure quick progress is now made with Heathrow's expansion - Bloomberg

A host of business heavyweights representing half a million companies have urged the Prime Minister to “crack on” with Heathrow’s third runway or risk losing trade.

The CBI’s Carolyn Fairbairn, British Chambers of Commerce’s Adam Marshall, and Stephen Phipson from ­manufacturing organisation EEF, are among the signatories of a letter calling on Theresa May to hold a vote on Heathrow’s expansion quickly.

The project is “crucial” for UK trade, they claim. The intervention comes ­almost 50 years to the day since the Roskill Commission was set up to look at airport expansion in the South East.

“Half a century later, the need to get on with expanding the UK’s airport ­capacity is more urgent than ever,” the letter, seen by The Sunday Telegraph, says.

Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to hold a vote on Heathrow's proposed expansion by the end of June Credit: AFP

“The choice for extra hub capacity isn’t between Heathrow or any other UK airport, but between Heathrow and other European hubs.

“Frankfurt, [Amsterdam’s] Schiphol and [Paris’s] Charles de Gaulle are ­pulling ahead at the UK’s expense – at our businesses’ expense – as our major port is constrained, forcing global ­investors and trade to go elsewhere in Europe.”

The letter’s signatories, which also include the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Institute of Directors, claim thousands of jobs will be created – mostly outside London – thanks to the four off-site construction centres Heathrow is planning to use to mitigate the project’s impact on the ­airport.

Assessing the potential fallout if ­expansion was not granted, the letter said Heathrow was the country’s biggest port by value and was operating at 98pc capacity. Key export routes to the likes of Shanghai, Delhi and Dubai are “virtually full”, meaning rival airports in Europe could soon attract business away from Heathrow.

Proponents of Heathrow's expansion claim it is needed because the airport's cargo capacity is running near full Credit: Grimshaw architects

“The world is waiting for Britain’s businesses, but it won’t wait forever,” the letter concluded.

“If we don’t do this now after decades of debate, Britain will not become the global trading powerhouse we know it can be.

“We therefore urge the Government to crack on with the vote on Heathrow expansion as soon as possible.”

The Government has pledged to hold a vote on the national policy statement, an initial form of planning permission, by the end of June. If it goes through, Heathrow will then be able to draw up a detailed plan of its third runway scheme.