Neil Spurrier

Record UK budget surplus as Rachel Reeves gets tax boost Government revenue £30.4bn higher than spending in January thanks to tax receipts and a sharp fall in debt interest

"The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Friday that public revenues were £30.4 billion higher than public spending in January"
Still less than the cost of Heathrow expansion!
www.thetimes.com/article/d29c...

Stop the madness of Heathrow expansion

Unless you are a climate change denier, building more airports not a good idea........
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

"an increase in spending in the regions, where the VAT and other tax receipts from these new visitors and their increased visitor spending"
Oh dear. 1stly, more fly out of UK than in. 2ndly there is no VAT on flights. 3rdly there are environmental consequences.
www.thetimes.com/article/3605...

Worst coral bleaching on record for Western Australian reefs Scientists say the damage was caused by the

And our rotten government still wants to expand airports contrary to the advice of the Committee on Climate Change
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Sustainable Aviation Fuels: conqueror or con? The Government has introduced a Sustainable Aviation Mandate, which is a set of directions on how and when sustainable aviation fuel is to be introduced. Neither “SAF” nor “Sustainable Aviation Fuel” ...

Read what we say about SAFs and why they will not be the saviour of aviation from climate change that they claim to be.
www.teddingtonactiongroup.com/2025/07/22/s...

HS2 was doomed to be a mess before it began, say insiders

Interesting article on why HS2 has been such a catastrophic failure with cost breaches and overruns.
The same would happen with a #3rdrunway at Heathrow. The diverting of watercourses, altering M25 and appalling environmental effects would add to costs and delays
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Most expensive airport? We’re good value, says Heathrow boss A new report by KPMG, commissioned by Heathrow, concludes other airports are more expensive if the cost headwinds it faces are factored in

Far from being "good value" this shows Heathrow is the wrong airport in the wrong position
www.thetimes.com/article/af68...

Keir Starmer defends UK net zero policy after criticism from Tony Blair Former Labour prime minister highlighted need for reset of ‘irrational’ debate over climate change

“Tony Blair has decided to mimic Nigel Farage on net zero and sounds like he is speaking on behalf of petro states like Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan for whom he has lobbied for more years than he was prime minister.” - on.ft.com/4jzuEN9 via @FT

Magic Circle law firms accused of hypocrisy over climate change Campaigners accuse them of promoting their green credentials while facilitating billions of pounds of fossil fuel deals

Interesting.......
www.thetimes.com/article/f454...

Air France-KLM targets ‘unbelievable’ spending of American travellers Surge in demand for premium leisure will help airline group boost profits, says chief Ben Smith

Presumably if these rich Trump supporters need to fly to the UK, they could afford the exorbitant landing fees of Heathrow, and we could confine Heathrow to a rich person's airport and reduce it to one runway....
on.ft.com/4hYB33P via @FT

Mahmood to review Sentencing Council’s powers amid ‘two-tier’ justice row Lord chancellor announces move follows claims that new sentencing rules discriminate against white men

For once, I agree with a Lord Chancellor. What demon has possessed the Sentencing Council? www.theguardian.com/law/2025/mar...

Heathrow to push ahead with plans for third runway and new terminals The airport’s chief executive will say he is ‘ending years of doubt’ on stalled expansion after Rachel Reeves gave her backing

"100 per cent privately funded, to upgrade our terminal buildings, enhance passenger experience"
Considering Heathrows filed accounts show liabilities exceeding assets one wonders "what with?"
www.thetimes.com/article/7977...

Reeves faces having to cut spending or raise taxes as UK growth disappoints Chancellor’s headroom against her key budget rule has been wiped out, according to preliminary forecasts by watchdog

Seems that Heathrow expansion is not the only thing Reeves has got wrong
on.ft.com/3EyRYLz via @FT

Heathrow aims to hit 100mn passengers a year as third runway beckons The expansion would be the largest private investment programme into the London airport

"But Dale Vince, the major Labour donor, criticised ministers for their “stupid” decision to encourage a third runway.
“Increasing Heathrow doesn’t make sense,” Vince told the Financial Times. “It’s nonsense.”
Absolutely right. Proposal by self-interested maniacs
on.ft.com/4jXcs0w via @FT

Air pollution causing 1,100 cases a year of main form of lung cancer in UK Exclusive: Health experts and cancer charities say findings should serve as wake-up call to ministers

"Sarah Sleet, the chief executive of Asthma + Lung UK, said....“Yet still the government fails to take decisive action, even just last week giving the go ahead to an additional runway at Heathrow"
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Third Heathrow runway would improve air quality, says Rachel Reeves Chancellor faces opposition as she prepares to allow expansion of the UK’s busiest airport, saying it would stop planes circling over London

The chancellor has gone completely loopy....
www.thetimes.com/article/e668...

Rachel Reeves to relax non-dom tax rule amid millionaire exodus Budget measures to be changed after almost 11,000 of Britain’s wealthiest people left the country

Something very offensive about a government taking away the winter fuel payment, putting food chain at risk by taxing farms passed to the next generation, taxing jobs by e'rs' NI and then letting rich non-doms who contribute little, go with paying even less tax.
www.thetimes.com/article/0b9a...

Reeves faces opposition from party over third runway at Heathrow Senior Labour figures including Sadiq Khan and Ed Miliband oppose the airport expansion, citing environmental concerns

“Expanding three airports in the southeast would also do nothing for regional economies that are already left behind, and you have to question where it would leave our climate policy.”
Absolutely
www.thetimes.com/article/569d...

UK ministers poised to approve expansion of Gatwick airport Government could also give the go-ahead to development of Luton to allow more passengers

“All expansion proposals must demonstrate they contribute to economic growth . . . while remaining in line with existing environmental obligations,”
Heathrow certainly will not do that
UK ministers poised to approve expansion of Gatwick airport - on.ft.com/4jBs8Xo via @FT

Gatwick Airport warns government over homes purchase plan Gatwick Airport could be forced to purchase up to 4,400 homes under its expansion plans.

Eureka! Let the airport abandon its expansion plans, and may our government take some notice of the advice from its Committee on Climate Change
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Richmond Council reaffirms opposition to Heathrow third runway over environmental concerns Richmond Council has renewed its opposition to Heathrow Airport’s plans to build a third runway over environmental concerns.

"But over the last few years, Heathrow has been disingenuous with its neighbours and stakeholders. Under the guise of many cases of improvement, Heathrow's real agenda has been to secure support for significant growth for the airport over the coming decades."
richmond.nub.news/news/local-n...

TAG's response to CAA Consultation on the Future Direction of the UK Aviation Environmental Review The CAA has sought views on how it can fulfil its duties as a reviewer of the effects of aviation upon the environment. This function was carried out by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency,

TAG has responded to the CAA's consultation on the CAA's Aviation Environmental Review. Read our responses
www.teddingtonactiongroup.com/2024/12/11/t...

Cut Heathrow flights, campaigners urge after Dutch lower limit at Schiphol airport The Dutch government’s decision was hailed as a potential ‘game changer” for campaigns against noise pollution at major airports

Bring down the flight limits at Heathrow
www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

Heathrow’s new biggest shareholder backs airport expansion French private equity group Ardian says groups it invests in need to have a ‘growth plan’

Think that we can say that protestations on the environment by Heathrow shareholders are not genuine. What about the (very) strong advice of the Committee on Climate Change
Heathrow’s new biggest shareholder backs airport expansion - on.ft.com/4fEbq7p via @FT

CAA consultation on UKADS. This could seriously affect you if you are anywhere near an airport. Airspace modernisation being delegated to NATS www.caa.co.uk/commercial-i....

Brits retiring abroad could avoid UK inheritance tax under new loophole Budget measure allows anyone staying abroad for 10 years to avoid death duties on global wealth

Bizarre how a government can penalise ppl educating their children by adding VAT onto fees, jeopardise food production by penalising farmers when passing their farms on death, while letting domiciled UK citizens who skedaddle out of the Country get off Scot free.
on.ft.com/3V4aiS2 via @FT

Aircraft Noise: Local Communities - Hansard - UK Parliament Hansard record of the item : ' Aircraft Noise: Local Communities' on Thursday 14 November 2024.

Makes you feel queezy to see the SoS make light of our MPs with constituents' concerns over the creation of noise sewers
hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2024...

Estimated revenue from taxing aviation fuel at motor fuel rate = £12bn. Estimated revenue from VAT on school fees = £1.5bn. Estimated revenue from doubling CGT rate = £10bn. Why is there no tax on aviation fuel and air fares? 🤔