Goldsmith quizzes Cameron over Heathrow expansion (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

Goldsmith quizzes Cameron over Heathrow expansion

4:17pm Thursday 14th June 2012 in News By Paul Teed

Reassurance: Mr Goldsmith pushed David Cameron in PMQs

Zac Goldsmith has put public pressure on David Cameron to ensure the Government will not approve a third runway at Heathrow.

The Richmond Park MP, who threatened to resign earlier this year if the Conservatives changed their stance on the issue, asked Mr Cameron to make a commitment during Prime Minister’s Question Time on Wednesday, June 13.

He said: “Can the Prime Minister reassure my constituents that for as long as he is the Prime Minister there will be no policy shift at all in relation to the third runway at Heathrow and that this Government will focus its attention on improving Heathrow’s hub status by expanding links between London airports and displacing some of the short haul and less valuable slots elsewhere?”

Mr Cameron replied: “I know that that this is not just a constituency campaign for him, it is something he feels very powerfully about, and I can tell him the coalition position has not changed, but clearly we mustn’t be blind to two important considerations.

“One is how we expand airport capacity overall, but secondly how do we make sure that Heathrow operates better and we make sure we welcome people to our country better than we’re doing at the moment.

“A lot of progress has been made on that agenda, and I congratulate the Home Secretary for the extra resources and the people who’ve been put in to doing that important job.”