- .Government has given approval for £17bn Heathrow airport expansion
- .Theresa May said it showed UK open for business after Brexit vote
- .But Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson dismisses project as 'undeliverable'
- .Ex-London Mayor candidate Zac Goldsmith set to quit Commons in protest
- .Education Secretary Justine Greening says she's 'extremely disappointed'
Theresa May is facing a furious Tory backlash after plans to expand Heathrow airport were finally given the go-ahead today.
A major rebellion is already under way over the decision by a Cabinet committee to approve a third runway - with former London Mayor candidate Zac Goldsmith set to quit parliament and fight a by-election as an independent in protest.
The Prime Minister - whose own Maidenhead constituency is under the flightpath and previously condemned expansion proposals - said the move was vital and demonstrated that Britain can make a success of Brexit.
But she has already been forced to give ground to critics within her top team, granting ministers special dispensation to make clear they disagree with the government's choice.
Boris Johnson used the exemption to brand the scheme 'undeliverable' this afternoon, while education secretary Justine Greening said she was 'extremely disappointed'.
Mr Goldsmith told the House of Commons the £17billion project was 'doomed' and said he wanted to put his 'absolute opposition' on the record.
An artist's impression of the expanded site at Heathrow Airport, which was recommended by the government's commission
Zac Goldsmith said the airport expansion scheme was 'doomed' as he responded to the government announcement in the Commons today
'The government has chosen a course that is not only wrong, it is doomed,' he said.
Mr Goldsmith, who stopped short of declaring his resignation immediately, said the runway would be a 'millstone around the neck' of the government and engender 'anger and betrayal'.
'I simply use this opportunity to put my absolute opposition on the record.'
Mr Johnson, who as London Mayor called for a 'Boris Island' airport to be built in Kent, told journalists: 'A third runway is undeliverable.
'The day when the bulldozers appear is a long way off, if indeed they ever materialise.'
Ms Greening, MP for Putney, Roehampton and Southfields, said in a statement: 'Along with many people in my local community, I am extremely disappointed with the decision to push ahead with a third runway at Heathrow.
'My views against expanding Heathrow, particularly on the impact of noise and air pollution on local residents and the weak economic case, are long-held and well-known.
'I will continue to represent the views of my constituents, not least during the forthcoming public consultation on the draft National Policy Statement announced by the Secretary of State for Transport today.'
Mr Grayling gave details of the decision to approve the third runway in a statement to MPs in the House of Commons today, with Theresa May by his side
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (pictured left in Downing Street this morning remains dead set against Heathrow and branded the third runway 'undeliverable'
Mr Goldsmith has signalled he will make good on his promised to resign from parliament and trigger a by-election in his Richmond seat in protest.
The millionaire former environmental journalist, who has a majority of some 23,000 in the seat, intends to stand as an independent on a platform of opposing Heathrow.
'Following the Government's catastrophic Heathrow announcement, I will be meeting my constituents later today before making a statement,' he posted on Twitter earlier.
Liberal Democrat former Cabinet minister Vince Cable dismissed the expected resignation as a 'massive ego trip' for Mr Goldsmith.
'We (the Lib Dems) will certainly contest it,' he told MailOnline. 'But of course there may not be a proper Conservative candidate and then it is a massive Zac Goldsmith ego trip.
'He will campaign on a single issue... it is a waste of his and everybody else's time and money.'
The expansion plan would increase the number of flights at Heathrow to more than 700,000 a year by 2030.
The Cabinet signed it off after being convinced that an air pollution plan satisfied the need to deal with levels of toxicity that currently breach EU legal limits.
The owner of 800 homes to be demolished and others blighted will be offered “world class” compensation packages in an attempt to sweeten the pill. There will now be a lengthy consultation before a vote in parliament, and the prospect of multiple legal challenges.
Mrs May said the government was showing it could take the'big decisions when they're the right decisions for Britain'.
'Airport expansion is vital for the economic future of the whole of the UK and today also provides certainty to Londoners,' she told the Evening Standard.
'Businesses will know that we are building the infrastructure they need to access global markets. Ordinary working people will know that my Government backs jobs and growth.
Residents of Harmondsworth, who will be affected by Heathrow's expansion, listen to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announce the decision on TV in a pub today
A Cabinet committee chaired by the Prime Minister is believed to have given the nod to the controversial third runway at a meeting this morning. The proposed new runway will be built close to the M4, pictured in the map above
'We want the benefits of a new runway as quickly as possible, but we will also make sure London and taxpayers get a good deal. By making sure we improve the links between regional airports and our capital city we can use airport expansion as an opportunity to bring the UK closer together.
'This decision demonstrates that as we leave the EU we can make a success of Brexit and Britain can be that open, global, successful country we all want it to be.'
Mr Grayling said: 'The step that government is taking today is truly momentous.
'I am proud that after years of discussion and delay this government is taking decisive action to secure the UK's place in the global aviation market – securing jobs and business opportunities for the next decade and beyond.
'A new runway at Heathrow will improve connectivity in the UK itself and crucially boost our connections with the rest of the world, supporting exports, trade and job opportunities.'
A Heathrow spokesman said: 'Expansion of Heathrow is the only option that will connect all of the UK to global growth, helping to build a stronger and fairer economy.'
Labour is also deeply divided on the issue.
Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said the party 'welcomed any decision that will finally give certainty on airport expansion' while stressing that he wanted 'reassurance' in areas such as noise and air quality.
But shadow chancellor John McDonnell, whose Hayes & Harlington constituency is in west London, said he had been campaigning against the third runway for 30 years and 'nothing has changed'.
'Building a third runway would be devastating for local residents who face losing their homes, schools, community centre and village life,' he wrote on Twitter.
Tory MP Zac Goldsmith has promised to resign from parliament and trigger a by-election in protest at the decision
How the proposed development at Heathrow will affect the surrounding area
'It also remains a disaster for air pollution, noise levels and our efforts to tackle climate change.'
London Mayor Sadiq Khan accused the Government of 'running roughshod' over the concerns of the capital's residents.
He said the move would be 'devastating' for the city's air quality and mean an extra 200,000 people will be exposed to unacceptable levels of plane noise.
In a sign of the battles ahead, he called on the Government to pick up the tab for the 'billions of pounds' needed to improve road and rail connections to Heathrow and set out how to mitigate against the additional air and noise pollution.
Mr Grayling told MPs expanding Gatwick was the right decision for the 'whole country'
'This is the wrong decision for London and the whole of Britain,' Mr Khan said in a statement.
The Airports Commission led by Sir Howard Davies concluded last year that a third runway at Heathrow airport was a better option than a second at Gatwick.
This week he said the case for Heathrow was 'overwhelming' with Brexit underlining the need for a 'clear strategic decision'.
Lib Dem former Cabinet minister Vince Cable (pictured centre in hat) and MP Tom Brake (left) joined an anti-Heathrow protest outside Downing Street today
Andrea Leadsom, pictured arriving in Downing Street today, was on the Cabinet committee that approved Heathrow expansion
Ms Greening, whose Putney constituency in South West London is on the flight path, is also likely to voice opposition.
Mrs May also faces a series of delays as town hall leaders have pledged to 'do whatever it takes' to prevent expansion.
Four Tory-run councils – including the authority covering her own constituency – have planned a legal challenge.
Sir Howard Davies concluded last year that a third runway at Heathrow airport was a better option than a second at Gatwick
A jumbo jet flying over houses in Bedfont while coming in to land at Heathrow
Protesters demonstrated outside the Houses of Parliament this morning with a mock runway as ministers met to give the green light for Heathrow expansion
Alongside Mrs May, the airport sub-committee included Chancellor Philip Hammond, Mr Clark and Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom.
Hillingdon, Wandsworth and Richmond councils – as well as Mrs May's local Windsor and Maidenhead – have said they will use a £330,000 fund to fight the move in the courts.
Richmond council leader Lord True said Heathrow was 'already illegal in terms of air quality' and warned local authorities in the flight path would continue to resist expansion of the airport to the west of London.
He said: 'We have a fighting fund and will take whatever action is necessary. Whatever the Government thinks, it is our duty to represent our constituents who have given us a clear mandate to oppose Heathrow.'
MPs on the Commons transport committee last week raised concerns a decision may be 'bogged down by a decade of legal challenges' from 'nimbys' – 'not in my backyard' campaigners – and their lawyers.
The protesters are promising to wage a long campaign against the expansion of Heathrow
The group of demonstrators waved placards on Whitehall today to make their views clear
But Mr Grayling said he believed opponents would abide by the 'will of parliament' after MPs vote on the decision in winter 2017/18. The Commons ballot will follow public consultation over details of planning proposals.
Lord True said: 'I'm heartily sick of people in West London being described as nimbys. We already have half a million flights going over us every year and the worst air quality in Britain. We've done our bit.'
The councils have been backed by Greenpeace as they work with lawyers to prepare a challenge.
The councils worked together in 2010 to win a High Court battle over the plans of Gordon Brown's government to expand the airport.
Wandsworth council leader Ravi Govindia said: 'There is no way to disguise the fact that Heathrow expansion will create unlawful and untenable noise, air pollution and health impacts.'
It comes after the Sussex and Surrey branches of the Campaign to Protect Rural England and more than a dozen action groups wrote to Mrs May earlier this month to warn they would 'consider a legal challenge' if the Government chose to expand Gatwick airport instead.
Gatwick made a last-ditch attempt to call for its own expansion, with chairman Sir Roy McNulty writing to the Cabinet's airport sub-committee.
Calling Gatwick the 'deliverable option', he claimed having 'two world-class airports' would show 'Britain is truly open for business'.
Gatwick has made clear it intends to build a second runway anyway if Heathrow gets the go-ahead.
Since Heathrow airport has great terminals and airport expansion would be a great idea but make sure people around that area are not disturbed.
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