Green Party leader Natalie Bennett has accused the Labour Party of having “little regard” for people and the environment, and called for investment in public transport.
Her comments come in response to Shadow Transport Secretary Michael Dugher’s call for a “swift decision” in favour of a third runway at Heathrow.
Bennett said:
“Michael Dugher’s comments are yet another example of Labour pandering to big business with little regard to the consequences for people and the environment.
“Any expansion of our aviation capacity threatens the environment and the health of local residents, who are already suffering due to high levels of air and noise pollution.
“If we are to meet our targets for tackling climate change, we must make moves to reduce our use of air travel. The Labour Party’s warm words on climate change can’t be taken seriously when they’re wedded to further, damaging expansion at Heathrow.
“Rather than endlessly expanding airports to meet growing demand for air travel, we should be seeking to reduce that demand by investing in public transport to make domestic flights less attractive and introducing a frequent flyer tax.”