Lib Dem leaders united in opposition to Rugby airport plan

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 7th Oct 2002

At a meeting between Warwickshire MEP Liz Lynne and Liberal Democrat Council Group leaders from across the West Midlands Region, it was unanimously agreed that they would oppose the building of any new airport in the region, or any new runway at Birmingham International Airport.

This follows the decision at the Liberal Democrat Conference last month to adopt national policy to oppose the building of completely new airports and to limit air transport growth by improving rail links to discourage short haul flights. The Liberal Democrats are the only political party to have adopted this as national policy in response to the Department for Transport’s recent consultation exercise.

Commenting on today’s meeting, Liz Lynne said: “It is important to adopt a united front on this issue. The stakes are high as the proposals could dramatically change the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.”