Tories pledge 'whatever it takes' on Heathrow third runway; PM Burnham keeps 'open mind'
Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith is to tell the Conservative conference in Birmingham that a future Tory government would do "whatever it takes" to deliver a third Heathrow runway. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has not ruled it out and, per Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, has an "open mind".
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith is expected to tell the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham that a future Conservative government would "do whatever it takes" to deliver a third runway at Heathrow. Evening StandardN “Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith is expected to use his speech to the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham to pledge sweeping reforms aimed at speeding up major infrastructure projects.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ GB NewsR “The Conservatives will pledge to "do whatever it takes" to get a third runway at Heathrow Airport off the ground.” Read at GB News ↗ Right · 1Griffith is to say the Tories are "all in" for growth and will legislate to remove barriers to infrastructure; he calls the plan "the biggest deregulation project in a generation". GB NewsR “We’re 'all in' for growth and we will legislate to sweep away the blockers to getting the infrastructure our country needs built.”“This will be the most ambitious deregulation project in a generation.” Read at GB News ↗ Mixed · 2He is also due to say: "Countries on the rise have the best infrastructure and connectivity to the world, but our national hub airport is being held back," and that he refuses to accept waiting until the 2040s for a third runway. Evening StandardN “Countries on the rise have the best infrastructure and connectivity to the world, but our national hub airport is being held back.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ GB NewsR “has to sit around waiting until the 2040s to get a third runway built.” Read at GB News ↗
Mixed · 2The intervention follows Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander telling Labour's conference in Liverpool last week that Prime Minister Andy Burnham had not ruled out a third runway; at a Politico fringe event she said, "I think Andy’s got an open mind." Evening StandardN “Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told Labour's conference in Liverpool last week that Prime Minister Andy Burnham had not ruled out backing a third runway.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ GB NewsR “At a Politico fringe event in Liverpool, Ms Alexander said: "I think Andy’s got an open mind."” Read at GB News ↗ Mixed · 2Alexander said the Prime Minister wanted to listen to communities, including those most affected in London, and to businesses and other airports. GB NewsR “"He’ll be listening to the views of other airports."” Read at GB News ↗ Evening StandardN “the communities most affected in London” Read at Evening Standard ↗ Mixed · 2Burnham told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that Heathrow's future was "a matter for London and Londoners" and that it was right to hear the consultation responses before considering the way forward. Evening StandardN “Mr Burnham said Heathrow Airport’s future was “a matter for London and Londoners” when he appeared on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme last week.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ GB NewsR “I think it’s right that we hear what people have said through the consultation and then consider the way forward from there.” Read at GB News ↗
Mixed · 2Heathrow bosses aim to secure planning approval by 2029, though the runway is not expected to be operational until 2039. Evening StandardN “Heathrow bosses are aiming to secure planning approval for the project by 2029, although the runway is not expected to become operational until 2039.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ GB NewsR “it is understood it would not be operational until 2039” Read at GB News ↗ Mixed · 2Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye welcomed a growing "can do" consensus behind expansion and said Heathrow and its investors stand ready to work with politicians from across the spectrum. Evening StandardN “We welcome the growing ‘can do’ consensus behind Heathrow expansion” Read at Evening Standard ↗ GB NewsR “Heathrow and our investors stand ready to work with politicians from across the spectrum to finally get the third runway built.” Read at GB News ↗ Centre · 1The Evening Standard reports the planned £49bn expansion would raise capacity to up to 756,000 flights and 150 million passengers a year, and says Chancellor John Healey insists the economic case "stacks up". Evening StandardN “The planned £49bn expansion would increase Heathrow’s capacity to up to 756,000 flights and 150 million passengers a year.”“Chancellor John Healey has insisted the economic case for expansion “stacks up”” Read at Evening Standard ↗
Mixed · 2Opposition comes from climate experts and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who called the runway a risk "we simply cannot afford to take"; Green MP Siân Berry has called for expansion to be scrapped and cited the Climate Change Committee's call to halt overall airport expansion. Evening StandardN “the project has faced fierce opposition from climate experts and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who described the runway as an outdated risk “we simply cannot afford to take”.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ GB NewsR “Climate Change Committee, which has already urged a halt to overall airport expansion.” Read at GB News ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Evening Standard presents a political contest over Heathrow: Tory pledge versus a Labour PM keeping an open mind, with cost, capacity and economic and opposing views.
- Emphasis
- Project scale (£49bn, 756,000 flights, 150m passengers), Healey's economic case and Khan's opposition.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not quote Green criticism or the Climate Change Committee, or Griffith's deregulation and 'socialist fever dream' lines.
- For example
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“The planned £49bn expansion would increase Heathrow’s capacity to up to 756,000 flights and 150 million passengers a year.” — Evening Standard
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- GB News leads on the Tory growth and deregulation message, quoting Griffith's attacks on Labour at length, with environmental criticism placed lower down.
- Emphasis
- Griffith's rhetoric, deregulation plans and criticism of the PM's politics.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Omits the £49bn cost and capacity figures, Healey's economic case and Sadiq Khan's opposition.
- Charged language
- “socialist fever dream”“all in for growth”“sweep away the blockers”
- For example
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“We face a Prime Minister that wants to return Britain to an imagined past – a socialist fever dream of the 1970s.” — GB News
What every side reports
- Andrew Griffith is to pledge at the Conservative conference in Birmingham that the Tories would do 'whatever it takes' to deliver a third runway.
- Heidi Alexander said Prime Minister Andy Burnham has an 'open mind' on a third runway.
- Heathrow aims for planning permission by 2029, with the runway operational around 2039.
- Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye welcomed the Conservative stance.
Andrew Griffith person
Pledges to legislate to remove infrastructure barriers and to back the third runway, saying the airport is 'being held back'.
“The next Conservative government will do whatever it takes to end the delays and boost capacity by backing the third runway.” — Evening Standard
Andy Burnham person
Says Heathrow's future is a matter for London and Londoners and wants to consider consultation responses; his minister says he has an open mind.
“I think it’s right that we hear what people have said through the consultation and then consider the way forward from there.” — GB News
Conservative Party party
Presents itself as 'all in' for growth, promising deregulation and a third runway.
“We’re 'all in' for growth and we will legislate to sweep away the blockers to getting the infrastructure our country needs built.” — GB News
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
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Conservatives back Heathrow expansion as Burnham keeps ‘open mind’
Neutral Balanced political report setting the Tory pledge against Burnham's open mind, with figures and opposing voices.
Right1 article
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GB NewsR ·
Mixed Leads with the Conservative growth pledge and Griffith's rhetoric, while including Green criticism.
- 4 Oct 22:06 First Evening StandardN Conservatives back Heathrow expansion as Burnham keeps ‘open mind’
- 5 Oct 01:50 +3h 44m GB NewsR Conservatives will do 'whatever it takes' to greenlight Heathrow third runway as Tories go 'all in for growth'
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.