Clive Lewis For Norwich South
In a speech I made supporting the Climate and Nature Bill in January, I was one of the first MPs to publicly come out against and put on the record that I did not support plans for airport expansion. This is consistent with my position in 2018, when I voted against expansion proposals.
The main reasons why I don’t support airport expansion:
- The climate and nature impacts are clear: airport expansion would cancel out carbon savings set out in the Clean Power Plan
- The social impact on surrounding areas and villages
- Irrelevant of whether Sustainable Aviation Fuel (‘SAF’) is used or not, increased air pollution will result from ultra fine pollution, nitrogen, and other compounds caused by increased flights
- Dubious job generation claims: many jobs will be temporary construction jobs, the vast majority of rest will be low paid and insecure
- Benefits will accrue disproportionately to wealthy travellers and frequent flyers and will be geographically skewed towards London and the south east
We need only look at previous decades to see evidence that geographic trickle up from the south east, and wealth trickle down, do not work as an economic strategy for driving prosperity.
Airport expansion doesn’t meet social, economic or environmental goals that we should be striving for to create a sustainable economy that promotes wellbeing.
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I have written analysis here about my support for a frequent flyer levy.
Air travel remains inaccessible to many, in part due to costs like air passenger duty. This entrenches inequality while doing little to address aviation’s environmental impact. A flight escalator duty offers a better solution. By increasing levies on frequent flyers and premium-class tickets, we can subsidise occasional travellers on lower incomes. This would make flying fairer and redistribute access to the skies.