A minister with a London constituency has resigned in order to vote against Government plans for a new runway at Heathrow on Monday.
However, foreign secretary Boris Johnson, a long-standing opponent of expanding the airport and a former London Mayor, is due to be out of the country when the Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) is debated and voted on in Parliament on Monday.
Mr Hands, MP for Chelsea and Fulham in 2010, who was minister of state for trade policy, wrote on Twitter: ‘As the Government will be whipping the vote on Monday, this means I am resigning from the Government.’
The Labour party announced on Wednesday that it will oppose current plans for a new runway at the west London airport, but would give its MPs a free vote.
Labour’s decision makes it likely that the House of Commons will approve the NPS.
However, local authorities in the London area have restated their opposition to expanding the airport and their intention to challenge it in the courts.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council said it would keep fighting the plans, even if Parliament supports the scheme.
The council has said it will seek to join any legal challenge against a decision in favour of expanding the airport – a move the council said would subject residents to ‘a mire of misery and pollution’.
Council leader Stephen Cowan said: ‘We absolutely refuse to sit back and let such a potentially catastrophic decision be made without a fight.’
London mayor Sadiq Khan also said this week that he will join legal action brought by local councils against expanding the airport if Parliament votes in favour.
He said: ‘This will be a critical moment, and for the sake of Londoners affected by poor air quality, disruption from noise and the costs needed to improve transport connections I will do what I can to stop these poor plans.’
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