Gatwick’s second runway exposes Labour’s first-class eco hypocrisy

Instead of pouring billions into aviation, Britain should be investing in clean, affordable new rail routes domestically and across Europe, says Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party

Labour has approved a second runway at Gatwick airport. Let’s not sugarcoat it: this is a disaster. It ignores basic climate science, undermines Britain’s legally binding net zero commitments, and entrenches a system of privilege where a small, wealthy minority pollutes while everyone else pays the price.

The government likes to frame this as a “no-brainer for growth”. But we should be asking: growth at what cost and for whom? The truth is that airport expansion won’t make life better for ordinary people. It means more pollution, more noise in people’s homes, and more greenhouse gases driving us deeper into climate breakdown.

This isn’t about enabling families to fly once a year on holiday. This is about a tiny few, the elite, being able to fly more and more, regardless of the cost to people or the planet.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at the numbers. In the UK, 70 per cent of flights are taken by just 15 per cent of Brits and 57 per cent don’t fly abroad at all. Yet it’s the majority who shoulder the costs, with degraded air quality, disrupted sleep, and the billions in tax breaks handed to airlines while our public services are stripped bare.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves promises the Gatwick runway can help Britain take off, but does that stand up to scrutiny? (Getty)

Airport expansion is not a policy for the many. It is a subsidy for the few.

Then there’s the climate reality. Aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Signing off on a new runway at Gatwick is not just reckless, it is fundamentally incompatible with Britain’s legally binding climate obligations. No amount of greenwashing or promises of future technology can disguise the basic fact: you cannot tackle the climate crisis while simultaneously expanding airports.

The supporters of expansion will quote optimistic stats to you when it comes to carbon. They sound OK, until you spot that they don’t include emissions from the actual flights.

Even the supposed economic benefits don’t stand up to scrutiny. The jobs created at Gatwick won’t outweigh the economic damage caused by extreme weather, sea level rises, and failing ecosystems, all of which are accelerated by decisions like this one. Airport expansion undermines both our long-term prosperity and our environment.

Again, supporters of the expansion will talk of tourism. But this is looking through the wrong end of the looking glass. This is what is referred to as a “tourism deficit” – the excess of spending on outbound trips over inbound visits. This has surged to a record £46.1bn in recent years. British travellers are spending nearly two-and-a-half times more on holiday abroad than foreign tourists spend in the UK. So you have to ask, do we really want to get more and more Brits holidaying abroad, or do we want some of that spending here, supporting British businesses and our own tourism sector?

Instead of pouring billions into aviation, we could invest in clean, affordable rail, both domestically and across Europe. We could back a programme of green jobs that transform communities, cut bills, and give young people a stake in their future. We could build an economy that works for both people and planet, rather than for the narrow interests of the aviation lobby.

Labour’s choice to greenlight Gatwick tells you everything about their priorities. This is politics stuck in the past, a tired, 20th-century answer to a 21st-century crisis. An obsession with growth at all costs, regardless of who pays or what gets destroyed in the process.

Today, I am offering something different. Something bold that no other political leader seems capable or willing to do. I am offering you the truth. The climate emergency has to be tackled head-on. And we have put fairness at the heart of the economy. Our fight for the climate is inseparable from the fight for social justice. If we ignore either, we all suffer.

Airport expansion is not inevitable. It is a political choice. And if we want a future that is safe, fair and sustainable, then we need to walk a different road, together. Are you up for coming on that journey?

Zack Polanski is the leader of the Green Party