Walsh: new transport minister has Heathrow conflict of interest
16.10.11
Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways owner IAG, has raised concerns that the new Transport Secretary is facing a ‘conflict of interest’ because her constituency is under the Heathrow flight-path, the Telegraph reports. Justine Greening was announced as the new Transport Secretary after the resignation of Liam Fox on Friday led to her predecessor, Philip Hammond, taking over as Secretary of State for Defence.
Ms Greening is the MP for Putney in south-west London and has campaigned against any expansion at the UK’s only hub airport. Mr Walsh, who has described the Government’s aviation policy as ‘a scandal’, is worried that her need to maintain local support will mean that she will not maintain a neutral position on aviation, or at least not on Heathrow.
The Government is in the midst of an aviation review and is expected to announce its new policy in the spring. Expanding Heathrow appears to be off the agenda, with the Government previously announcing that there will be no expansion of airport capacity in the South East during the current parliament. The newspaper reports that 'a source' said that Mr Walsh believes the Prime Minister is ‘hiding behind her [Ms Greening] as a fireguard against a policy that damages the UK economy’.
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