MP’s Ann and Alan Keen (left) have dealt another body blow to the residents of the London Borough of Hounslow by siding with the government over a Conservative led motion calling for a re-think over plans to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

Despite repeated claims that both MP’s are against airport expansion, they both voted against the motion, which was not binding, claiming that the Tories were trying to hijack the moral high ground over the environment.

Speaking during the debate, Alan keen said:

“I say straight away that I am going to vote against the Opposition motion on the grounds that it is, without any doubt, party politicking.”

“I was sitting in the second row here in the Chamber when the Secretary of State announced the barring of mixed mode. I looked at the faces of Conservative Members whom I have often regarded as colleagues during my years of opposing the third runway, and there was not a smile on any of their faces. That is how I know that the motion is party politicking; there is no doubt about that. What is more, they know it.”

It seems that Mr. Keen was still celebrating his ‘victory’ from the previous week, but there can be little doubt about one thing though, not many people in Hounslow and Sipson would have been smiling along with Mr. Keen when Geoff Hoon was announcing his plans to demolish a thriving community, and pour further misery on thousands of residents living near Heathrow, for the very same reasons given by Conservative MP Justine Greening, who said:

“The reason why there were not many smiles on this side is that we get the same old story. No promise on Heathrow expansion has ever been followed through. Every statement about Heathrow has always gone something like, “We’re going to get on with this expansion, and that will mean that we won’t need that other expansion.””

In the end the government won the vote by just 19. Had all ‘New Labour’ MP’s that claim to be against Heathrow expansion had the guts to stick to their convictions, Gordon Brown would have had to deal with a humiliating defeat. As it is Ann and Alan Keen continue to demonstrate their undivided loyalty to the government.

Following Geoff Hoon’s  decision to go ahead with the planned expansion of Heathrow Airport, announced in the House of Commons on 15^th January 2009, MP’s Ann and Alan Keen (Brentford and Isleworth & Feltham and Heston respectively) issued a joint statement in which they claim to have won a “partial” victory in the fight against Heathrow expansion, in an extraordinary attempt to save face.

In fact the only thing that residents have to celebrate is the fact that the government plan to keep runway alternation. The ending of the Cranford agreement and the decision to go ahead with the third runway will mean a huge increase in noise pollution for residents living on the edge of the northern runway in Cranford, and the destruction of an entire community as the village of Sipson will be demolished to make way for the new runway.

Outraged by the MP’s claims, Isleworth councillor, Paul Fisher, was compelled to write the following letter to the Hounslow Chronicle:

Dear Sir,

In an extraordinary joint press statement released by Ann and Alan Keen, MP’s for Brentford & Isleworth and Feltham & Heston respectively, the couple claim to have had a “partial victory” in the fight to halt plans to build a third runway and further expansion at Heathrow Airport.

The statement comes days after the Secretary of State for Transport, Geoff Hoon, announced the government’s plans to allow a third runway to be built at Heathrow, in the House of Commons on 15^th January 2009.

The statement, published by the Chronicle newspaper, claims that the decision to keep runway alternation means that there will be “no increase in noise pollution” for residents. What the government aren’t so keen to tell us is that the levels of noise that BAA would have to adhere to are based on figures that included the noise from Concord when it was still flying, which produced noise levels equivalent to 150 planes per day. Furthermore, Alan Keen, speaking for both MP’s, claimed that “this is the first major refusal that the government has ever made to the industry and it’s a major one. It’s a fantastic victory.” He continues by saying “We have put our arguments, and those of our constituents, against the expansion of Heathrow and its operations directly to the Prime Minister and the Secretaries of State. This result on mixed mode is proof that they have listened.”

However residents in Cranford had very little to celebrate as there was no such victory for them when Mr. Hoon also announced that he would be ending the Cranford agreement, which is a “gentleman’s” agreement dating back to 1952 and meant that wherever possible aircraft would not take off in an easterly direction from the northern runway as it is so close to residential properties.

The Keens do not appear to have commented on this issue in their statement, however, in the House of Commons, at around the same time as Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, John McDonnell, was being escorted off of the premises for removing the ceremonial mace in an act of passionate protest against Mr. Hoon’s decision, Alan Keen had this to say: “Even though the Cranford agreement is going, which I am sad about, that will at least benefit the constituents in Maidenhead, Windsor and places like that. We have to give and take on such issues.”

We must also give a thought to the people of Sipson, the village that will be raised to the ground by the bulldozers in order to facilitate the third runway. While Mr and Mrs Keen were celebrating their victory, the residents of Sipson, who will be doing most of the “giving” if the plans to build the third runway go ahead, were coming to terms with the fact that they could be about to loose their homes.

The ICG remain as committed as ever in its opposition to further expansion of Heathrow Airport and we will continue to fight alongside those that share this view. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is looking into the possibility of a legal challenge. The various organisations against Heathrow expansion are no doubt planning their next move and the residents of Sipson remain defiant with some threatening to chain themselves to the bulldozers if they arrive.

It is also fair to say that John McDonnell can expect to receive some sort of heroes welcome when he returns to his constituency. The same cannot be said for Mr and Mrs Keen. If past experience is anything to go by, we can expect them to lay low for a while in order for the dust to settle. When they do eventually manage to drag themselves away from their luxury apartment in Westminster and return to their constituencies, they can expect a rather more hostile reception, which, if Alan Keen’s recent prediction comes true, will result in them both loosing their seats at the next general election. For many that day cannot come too soon.

Yours,

Councillor Paul Fisher, Independent Community Group (ICG), Isleworth Ward.