London's mayoral candidates agree on one thing

From the Comment is Free section of the Guardian Unlimited website dated 19th January.

You know something strange is afoot when four politicians from conflicting corners of the political spectrum find themselves in agreement, and even more so when it comes in the middle of a hard fought mayoral campaign.

Yesterday, instead of spending their energy fighting each other for the support of Londoners, all four candidates - representing Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems and the Greens - have joined forces to fight the expansion of Heathrow. In an advert published this morning in several
newspapers Ken Livingstone, Boris Johnson, Brian Paddick and Sian Berry slam the government's plan to almost double the number of flights in and out of Heathrow.

And they're not alone in their opposition. A recent opinion poll showed that over 70% of people are opposed to aviation expansion.

Recent research found that a fifth of the total flights from Heathrow are to places that could be easily reached by train. If these flights were cut, flight numbers at Heathrow would be at the level they were at in the mid-1990s and we wouldn't need a third runway.

When you also consider the huge impact a third runway would have on Londoners - with more noise and pollution, and villages paved over - it's hardly surprising that the mayoral candidates put away their differences for a moment and spoke with one voice.

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