Justine Greening is now talking about a FOURTH runway at Heathrow

I don't know. Maybe its a bluff, in order to try and bounce a third runway at Heathrow onto the plates of the good folk of Ham Common and the rest of South West London.


But the Secretary of State for Transport  - and MP for Putney don't forget - Justine Greening yesterday intimated she's happy to consider proposals for a FOURTH runway at Heathrow.


Click on the link above the full story but here are a few 'highlights' from the Standard.

 Miss Greening told the Standard that a fourth runway may be needed and called on Heathrow’s operators to explain where they would put it.


She refused to rule out resigning if the Government’s opposition to a third runway softened.


“My job is to say, ‘What do we need for the next 20, 30, 40 or 50 years?’ What if we realise we need a fourth runway? Where would that go at Heathrow?


To be fair - she also said..


Ms Greening today made clear that she is unmoved by the renewed campaign for Heathrow expansion, stressing that all three main political parties are opposed to the third runway.


But given the mealy mouthed words of the Prime Minister just two weeks ago, when he refused at PMQs to rule out a U turn on the third runway, and reports that George Osborne is actively pushing for that U turn, I think we can take little comfort from those latter words. Presumably post 2015, all bets are off.


Ms. Greening has shown her true colours.


Update:


Just saw this excellent Tweet