VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED TO Heathrow's third runway, the Conservative opposition appears to be considering expansion at smaller airports as a sop to the air transport lobby.
In a Commons debate designed to expose divisions within the government ranks, Theresa Villiers, shadow secretary of state for transport, reiterated her opposition to expansion at Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted, and again ruled out a completely new airport on reclaimed land in the Thames estuary.
However, she said the Conservatives were willing to consider expansion at other airports in southeast England. There are physical constraints at London City, so the only realistic contenders are Luton, Southend - recently acquired by the Stobart Group - and BAA-operated Southampton.
Even more curiously, Villiers implied that expansion might also be allowed at other, unspecified "smaller sites" - presumably including the likes of Lydd and Manston.