New aviation minister ‘against third runway’

The new aviation minister opposes a third runway opponent and once “twinned” his Yorkshire farm with a village near Heathrow in a tree-planting ceremony.

Campaigners for air expansion may be surprised to learn that Robert Goodwill invited six Greenpeace activists to the unusual twinning ritual.

Mr Goodwill, the Tory MP for Scarborough and Whitby, was appointed to take charge of air policy in Monday’s reshuffle.

But in 2010, when the village of Sipson was earmarked for destruction to make way for a third runway, he asked Greenpeace to join him at his Terrington home to plant a Cox’s apple tree. He said at the time: “I am delighted that the Conservative party and Greenpeace are working together in opposing the third runway at Heathrow.”

He did not return calls from the Evening Standard to check if his views had changed.

Another opponent of expansion, former Lib-Dem mayoral candidate Baroness Kramer, was also made a minister in the Transport Department in the reshuffle.