Ann Keen could lose seat over Heathrow plans, poll reveals

3:18pm Monday 5th January 2009

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Brentford and Isleworth MP Ann Keen faces losing her seat at the next general election as a result of voters’ anger with Labour over the proposed expansion of Heathrow airport, a poll has revealed.

Almost a quarter of west London residents surveyed said they would be less likely to vote for Labour if plans for the controversial third runway go ahead.

Alan Keen, Labour MP for Feltham and Heston - who has spoken out in the House of Commons against the project - would see his lead slashed by half.

He told a heated debate on November 11 last year that he and his wife had always supported Heathrow expansion “up until now”.

The survey of 1,003 residents, commisioned by Greenpeace and carried out on December 17, showed there would be a swing away from Labour of almost five per cent in constituencies under the flight path, which could mean the Government would lose the seats of Brentford and Isleworth, Battersea, Ealing Central and Acton and Hammersmith.

Greenpeace campaigner Vicky Wyatt said: “Building a third runway would be a political disaster for the Government. They’d leak votes in west London and lose key constituencies. If such a swing was repeated across a wider area, then many more Labour MPs could lose their seats.

“The environmental case for blocking this third runway is overwhelming, and the business case is deeply flawed. And now we can see it would be a political nightmare for the Government too.”

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