Plans to expand Heathrow airport, Britain's biggest, have provoked a fierce debate among business leaders about the country's targets for cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions.

The heads of some of Britain's largest companies, such as Charles Dunstone, Sir Roy Gardner, Justin King and James Murdoch, head of News International, publisher of The Sunday Times, want plans for a third runway at Heathrow to be scrapped. "Climate change cannot be ignored," they said in an open letter. "The UK's approach to transport must reflect the seriousness with which we take our target to cut emissions by 80% by 2050."

Up to now, big business was assumed to be an unquestioning supporter of Heathrow expansion. A strong lobby by the CBI, which unusually made common cause with the TUC, was one of the chief reasons given for Gordon Brown approving the third runway earlier this year, despite strong opposition by members of his cabinet. Richard Lambert, director-general of the CBI, hit back last week, saying there was a "strong consensus" that the runway should go ahead.

Read the full article in The Sunday Times.


The aviation lobby is running scared. It knows the third runway will not be built.

The only "strong consensus" is amongst the dinosaurs with vested interests in Heathrow expansion. A tiny, and steadily disappearing minority.