Tories are for turning

Breaking news from the boys in blue: the Tory leadership have edged closer to a sensible policy on airport expansion, declaring yesterday that the economic and environmental case had not been made for the third runway at Heathrow.

Shadow aviation secretary Theresa Villiers told the Evening Standard that "The Government is set on building a third runway regardless of whether key economic and environmental questions are answered. However, they have failed to make the case."

Villiers discovered yet more invompetence and manipulation of the figures: "On page 55 of one of the annexes to the consultation document, we find them casually admitting that they have failed to price in the carbon effects of surface access to the airport...

"And they have included, as an economic benefit, the forecast increase in Air Passenger Duty - despite the fact that much of this will be a transfer from UK citizens to the exchequer, and hence not a benefit for the economy as a whole."