Ed Miliband has now backed plans for a third Heathrow runway in a U-turn from his long-held objections to the expansion.
More than a decade ago, Mr Miliband reportedly threatened to quit Gordon Brown’s cabinet if the then Labour government supported the airport’s expansion.
And in 2018, in the House of Commons, he voted against another runway over environmental concerns, saying: “We owe it to future generations not just to have good environmental principles but to act on them.”
But the energy secretary has now said he will “support what the government is doing” and abide by his collective responsibility as a government minister.
He also said the plans could still be compatible with the government’s net zero targets.
Asked if he now backed Heathrow expansion, the former Labour leader told Sky News: “Obviously I abide by collective responsibility and what the government has done, I do support what the government is doing which is that we have asked Heathrow to come forward with their plans.”
There are still deep splits within the Labour Party over the plans. Labour mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has previously said he would consider joining a legal challenge if the government backed a third runway.
Sir Sadiq repeated his opposition on the day that chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the government was backing the project on 29 January.
Asked if the London mayor was wrong, Mr Miliband said: “I think what I am saying is that I am part of a government that has a collectively agreed position on this and I believe this can be done, aviation expansion can be done consistent with our carbon budgets.”
Discussions about the expansion of London’s busiest airport date back to 2003, when its owners first sought approval for the third runway. More than 20 years later, Labour has got behind the project as the government invites proposals to be brought forward in the summer.
The chancellor promised to take forward a full assessment through the airports national policy statement, designed to “ensure that the project is value for money and our clear expectation is that any associated service transport costs will be financed through private funding”.
Asked for a timeline on the plan, Ms Reeves said she wants to see “spades in the ground this parliament”, confirming that the goal is for the runway to be in use by 2035.
Flights from the airport are currently capped at 480,000 per year, and that limit is being reached. A third runway would theoretically increase this to 720,000 flights.
