Heathrow

Oh dear. This weekend we ran a story about how Virgin had been 'freeped' - they'd posted a poll online to gather support for the third runway, only for 94% of people to vote against expansion.

Virgin promised that they would show the poll to the DfT, but news has reached us today that the poll has disapeared - although links to it still exist on their website. Yesterday afternoon it stood at 96% opposed - with over 700 votes against the third runway. Surely El Branson can't have pulled the plug just because people didn't agree with him? Maybe he's sulking, after everyone dismissed his fancy biofuel project as greenwash?

Anyone who's anyone at Virgin Atlantic has spent the day huddled around a camera, waffling on about how flying one aeroplane with 20% biofuels makes up for the emissions from their thousands of trans-Atlantic services. But behind the scenes, Virgin is just as carbon-addicted as the other airlines. Virgin's website proudly declares their support for the third runway, and asks faithful passengers whether they agree.

So far, so normal; but as Virgin found out, people really don't want this lump of tarmac. According to Virgin's poll, over 90% of people oppose Heathrow expansion. We know the runway's unpopular, but this isn't just an outpouring of opposition. Virgin got freeped.

As the consultation deadline approaches, councils across London stand united against expansion. Hounslow, Windsor and Maidenhead, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Hillingdon and many others are all opposed to expansion. Of the councils near the airport, only Spelthorne supports expansion, although rumours of bribery are emerging, after BAA promised to supply mobility buses to the cash-strapped borough just before it pulled out of the 2M group.

Of course, Lord Soley, Acton resident and head of Future Heathrow, supports expansion. He paints a horrible picture of London's future without an aviation industry given carte blanche to expand at will. "Unless we get permission for this runway we are stuck. Passenger numbers are stuck, destinations are going down and we will have to close Heathrow." Sounds great Clive: on behalf of the two million people who can't get a good night's sleep because of planes overhead, where do I sign?

Want to show the Government you don't support expansion? Come to the Westminster rally on Monday the 25th of February. 7pm, Central Hall.

Heathrow expansion must go ahead, say Ministers, or London will be transformed overnight into a third-world city, whose population huddle under the yellow glare of street lamps and burn copies of thelondonpaper to keep warm. Not so, claim consultancy firm CE Delft, who have released a HACAN-funded report which debunks the economic arguments in favour of expansion.

The report explodes the myth that expansion and the economy are intrinsically linked. The DfT claim that each extra passenger brings £120 into the economy, putting the net benefit of expansion at £4.4 billion over 70 years. But CD Delft point out that this ignores the huge tax subsidy to the industry (currently around £10 billion per year). The overall benefit is closer to £30 per passenger. Additionally, £3 billion of the projected economic benefit will be money raised by the Government through aviation duty - leaving a direct boost to the private economy of about £1.4 billion a year.