My Lords, this is a very strange Bill; it is a Bill in search of a purpose, which proposes and transfers substantial powers to a regulatory body but which gives us no road map for how those powers are going to be used. In the debates we have had so far and in the amendments we are looking at this afternoon, it is inevitable that there will be amendments to try to give the Bill a purpose, to limit the use of the powers, because their use has not been explained, and to get some better regulation directly into the Bill, given the absence of any suggestion for improvements in the legislation that we have before us. That includes some very good proposals that we will come to later to improve the lot of disabled travellers, for example. I can understand why people want to get something worth while into the Bill, which is otherwise this rather strange transfer of powers, in order to be able to trust this independent body. We know that there is no urgency about this because we know from the impact assessment that there will not be any costs or benefits for the foreseeable future, and that the CAA will be given about a year after the successful passage of the Bill, if it goes through, to contemplate and review.
I support my noble friend because he is trying to give the Bill an overriding purpose, which should be entirely at one with the manifesto, the plans and the stated intentions of both the outgoing and the incoming Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I think we all agree, across parties, that it would be good if our economy grew faster than it has been growing since the great crash of 2008-09. Surely we can all see that this requires a sector-by-sector response, as well as changes in general economic policy that are not the subject of this debate.
My noble friend is right to try to make growth and competitiveness the twin aims. I suspect that the Minister is very sympathetic, but he will need to get colleagues and others to co-operate in speeding up work to try to ensure that the aviation sector—which is normally a fast-growing, modernising, important sector, particularly in an island country that needs good transport links—is one of the attractive means of increasing our activity and our growth, creating more and better-paid jobs.
This legislation covers issues that could make a very material contribution to that faster growth. It covers the question of airport slots. Will there be more of them, and is there a policy to try to create more capacity? What is the Government’s view on airport expansion? Will there be more expansion of smaller and regional airports to take some of the strain off the main centre in London? What is the plan for London, and when will we have the very large number of slots expanded? It is clearly under great pressure of demand.
Regulations on charging are mentioned but not detailed in this legislation. We have already heard from my noble friend about the possible tax charges on certain types of business premise, but we really need to hear from the Government what the charging policy is going to be for scarce airport space, particularly in London, where we are becoming uncompetitive against Schiphol, Paris, Frankfurt and some of the other continental airports that are our natural competitors. If you become not very price competitive, you start to lose the interlining and air-switching business, which can be handled by a big intersection airport such as Amsterdam just as well as it can be handled by Heathrow. We need a bit more guidance on how these regulations might develop and be included.
I urge the Minister to take off one or two of the veils and give us some idea of how these policies on improved regulation for the cost of use of airports, the amount of airport space, the allocation of slots and the general conduct of air traffic in our country might be deployed. I find it odd that, two years into a Government with a very strong majority and a strong mandate for quite a limited manifesto, they do not seem to have those burning desires, for example, to get our aviation sector really growing quickly. They are not answering the questions about these very basic things. How much airport space? How do you allocate the slots? What is the pricing? How much support do you give to the industry? What will the regulatory impact be on that industry? We all want safety regulation and good regulation so that the customer gets a decent deal. We do not want so much regulation that it throttles the industry here as an extremely mobile and fast-moving industry can shift its assets the following day to another hub airport somewhere else, taking a lot of the business away.
July 15, 2026
The Royal Navy frigate HMS Portland has carried out live firing with her 4.5 inch main gun during training off the South Coast of England this week. Source:- Royal Navy
The Type 23 frigate also reported the gunnery exercise on social media, posting: “Every day is a good day for a bit of naval gunnery. 4.5 engage!” The firing came at the end of what the ship described as a “great week at sea off the South Coast.”
The Russian Black Sea Fleet frigate Admiral Grigorovich has spent nearly three months persistently lingering in and around the Channel, providing “iron” protection for sanctioned Russian oil shipments. Supported by vessels like the Ropucha-class landing ship Aleksander Shabalin, it was actively shielding transits, such as the sanctioned tanker “Forwarder”. However, the Royal Navy, including HMS Tyne and HMS Sutherland, maintains an unbroken watch on these Russian assets, severely disrupting their ability to secure safe passage through the strait
The RN has now responded to the incident last month when the Grigorovich fired on a civilian yacht off HMNB Devenport. The Russians have noted this British assertion of our determination to defend these isles and have re-routed their sanctioned vessels around the North, avoiding the Channel
July 15, 2026
Glad to see you are back to posting off-topic material of no relevance to the discussion at all – you had me worried yesterday.
I see your chum Miliband is willing to give the go ahead for more oil production from the North Sea as long as he is made Chancellor. It’s almost as if the climate crisis isn’t a crisis at all but just political posturing.
July 15, 2026
I suppose it depends on whether you include defence as a purpose whereby both air and sea vigilance is important.
I do find that people, in particular academia, become focused on one aspect of an all round issue which in turn negates peripheral issues that has the potential to impact upon the whole.
July 15, 2026
Sadly John the only expanding “industry” this Government backs is the Taxation, Debt, and Regulation one.
I do not see it changing any time soon.
July 15, 2026
+1
July 15, 2026
Not one mention of Net Zero in your speech
The latest carbon budget specifically sees air transport as a problem. Long term there is a plan to ration flying by the process and close regional airports
The bill is just waffle.
Reply I raised net zero yesterday in a question and in another speech! Watch this space.
July 15, 2026
Ian, there is a big divide between the young and old on this.
My niece – ex-public school and good university and now good job in the city is pretty GREENY. But she is little compared to many of her ex-public school, good university and city friends.
If young conservatives like this are fairly greeny – compared to older population – we have a problem.
The old, in general, have far less time on this planet than the young. They also have a duty to care for the younger generation. To support them buying houses. And so on. And just to support them in general (and not be divided or awkward when they visit each other on family occasions). And we need to be careful about this young-old divide. Nothing healthy. Yes, Net Zero is bonkers (to a degree), but people such as Michael O’ Leary, and others, are responding without ruining their businesses.
Lastly, there is a big opportunity to be made from Green and green-related tech. In particular, to clean up our cities so we have less noisy planes flying over them and less fumes being pumped into the streets and less nosy vehicles on the streets too. This is more of a social-cultural-aesthetic thing than a green issue – but related.
And whatever you think, the young are not going to be easily swayed by the views of people such as yourself. If anything, they will REBEL even more if they feel anti-net-zeroites aren’t also prioritising green issues. Many in business get this. In particular, those working in the ad-branding-PR industry advising businesses on this. And those in politics need to follow.
July 15, 2026
John you certainly seem to be appearing and getting heard rather more in the House of Lords than you did in the other place. I can only hope that your influence and ideas are being noted and supported, and that as such feedback will have some influence in the “other place”
July 15, 2026
@Berkshire Alan – agreed
If only the other place woke up got of their knees and started to do their job! Political ideology is not work its a religion that doesn’t do challenge
July 15, 2026
IW : Agreed. The Net Zero by 2050 plan, put into legislation by PM May followed by PM Johnson’s Strategy, requires the almost complete end of flying as well as shipping. See the government funded UK Fires report Absolute Zero:
https://ukfires.org/impact/publications/reports/absolute-zero/
So the long-term plan will be to close the aviation industry as we are already seeing with other industries such as the car making industry and refining industries.
There is no climate crisis caused by burning fossil fuels and it would not have been invented by the Left if its “solution”, Net Zero, wasn’t sabotaging our energy and destroying our wealth, industry, economy and national security.
July 15, 2026
Reply to Reply:
Net Zero is sabotaging our energy and destroying our wealth, industry, economy and national security. It should be the Conservative Party’s most important economic policy to end it and Kemi should be using at least one of her 6 questions at each PMQs to make clear the damage that is being done to our industry and standard of living and to call each time for Net Zero to be scrapped.
July 15, 2026
Two Tier just now, proud of his Hillsborough bill. “There is the first injustice and then is added injustice of the State failing to recognise the first injustice”(as with Hillsborough, the Post Office scancal, Blood Contamination… )
This from a government that is still refusing to release the raw data health by vaccines status type/numbers/dates (they have it all easily available) – showing the vast harms done by Sunak and Boris spending £600bn and coercing usafe and ineffective Covid Vaccines into people. It obviously show vast harms as it does elswhere when avaiable and also it it did not they would have released it.
Is he trying to outdo the gross hypocracy of the climate alarmists like King Charles, Ed Miliband and most current government ministers on this topic too! But thanks for the bill perhaps your only positive in 2 years.
July 15, 2026
I think ultimately the Labour Party has been captured by net zero zealots and they don’t approve of aviation at all, but they realise there must be some residual aviation industry so they hold their noses and delegate all decisions on it to a third-party arms-length body that will regulate it out of existence without the blame being directed at them. They also don’t approve of drivers in general – even of EVs – and so are unwilling to invest in infrastructure to support them. They don’t approve of air conditioning so they have used the cover of building regulation to ban it being included in newly built homes. They don’t approve of heavy industry such as steel and refining either so they put them out of business via carbon taxes and expensive electricity. I could go on. Of course most of the penal regulation and taxes were introduced by the previous Conservative government and they never managed to implement London airport expansion either did they ? .
July 15, 2026
@Roy Grainger – ‘they don’t approve of aviation’ – ‘don’t approve of drivers’ Ah… but the do, they want those areas cleared and made costly for the minions as it is there space. That is Socialism as it is taught in a nutshell – do as I say not what I do. In my personal image, do my personal bidding.
July 15, 2026
They approve of one type of aviation and that’s the private jet industry. They also approve of their own air travel. It will be the ordinary citizen who will have to live with flying restrictions. My local airport has lost its commercial airlines because it can’t compete with the big regional airport. We now have to travel large distances to fly anywhere whilst our airport has become the private jet capital of the region benefiting the rich and famous. The government should scrap taxes for small regional airports to allow them to compete.
July 15, 2026
As 80 year old born in Hayes on the doorstep of Heathrow I have seen and the growth and benefits of a expanding London Airport (Heathrow). Yes the noise is a pain but in my opinion the benefits outway this. I support the expanding Heathrow for the overall benefit of the country we need to be the a major hub. Quick thought we need to improve the link to Gatwick.
July 15, 2026
@Rodney Needs – Just as Croydon before it Heathrow has had its day. I am just amazed what they have squeezed out of it to-date, it sort of works, but is making itself expensive. You have a point about Gatwick, and with a fast efficient connection between the 2 they could be productive, in a direct line we are talking 30miles. A lot cheaper than HS2 and serving more people. Heathrow affectivity only serves West London, for anyone else it is massive chore to get there.
Even the proposal to destroy the quiet haven of Harmondsworth wont achieve much if people were honest to solve the long term.
Here in the UK we dance around the situation until its too late. Love him or dislike him (I’m in the later) Boris Island with the plans from Foster + Partners was the major communication hub for the UK air/rail/road all connected serving the whole Country, something the existing structures struggle with. Cost and a hiccup of unexploded munitions that will have to be dealt with regardless seem to be the hold up. We need a better plane than there is now.
There would also be the political fight from Heathrow’s owners they wont want the golden goose having competition
July 15, 2026
Also, all these old/oldosh men with strong views about this need to remember, it won’t be long til they will be pushing up daisies. They sound like proselytisers – but for what?
It’s a good thing there are people challenging Net Zero but it should really be coming from the young.
If the old are too opinionated on this, then the young will just think that it’s easy to be opinionated on this when an old/oldish people aren’t going to see the possible consequences of climate in 30 or years time. Talk is cheap.
What’s more, the young don’t want the old going on about Net Zero, but dip into their pockets and help the young buy houses. For it was the older generation today who created the situation today where it is sooo difficult for the young to buy houses. And owning your own house is one of the fundamental things of what it means to live in a civilised and healthy Britain.
So the older generation need to be careful here. Less talk on Net Zero and more action in dipping their hands into the pockets and helping the young to buy houses and more. And if not, the young will just rebel and/or feel the older generation just don’t really care.
July 15, 2026
Ed M. What a peculiar post. Don’t the young realise that Net Zero is the instrument being used to bankrupt us. Thereby no money for helping our children.
Government doesn’t want a property owning nation, they want a benefit reliant nation.
Mass immigration is taking starter homes from the young and penal raxes ae taking money from the old.
The latest incarnation of Marxism in the form of Guyliner will only intensify the problem.
It’s we oldies who go to the ballot box who will eventually rid us of this milestone of net stupid and hopefully usher in an era of prosperity.
Chin up.
July 16, 2026
‘Don’t the young realise that Net Zero is the instrument being used to bankrupt us’ – Like I said, I’m opposed to Net Zero. But I made a nuanced point which you didn’t pick up / completely ignored.
‘Mass immigration is taking starter homes from the young’ – what’s this got to do with anything I said? This is another argument which I agree with so straw man. Whilst you ignore the point that the elder generation contributed to the housing-market crisis for the young (and the elder generation have a duty to help their children / grandchildren get on the market by dipping into their pockets).
July 15, 2026
Ed, like many things the house market is driven by demand I am afraid, the fewer houses available, the higher the likely cost.
The problem is we do not have a housing problem when we are building nearly 200,000 new ones a year, we have a population problem where the growth is out stripping supply, not just of houses but schools, hospitals, power and water supply, with an infrastructure which simply cannot cope with such an increase in numbers.
The fact that Local Authorities charge the builders £ tens of thousands for each house built does not help either.
July 16, 2026
What?!
But the housing crisis is at every level. You don’t have immigrants from Sudan or Pakistan competing to buy houses out in the middle-class shires and in the suburbs of London. At least not enough to make housing prices as high as they are today.
July 15, 2026
To many young people they fall for this religion they “think” too much with their guts and raw emmotions rather than their brains – like most religions. Much encourage by the BBC and MSM and their propoganda. Chancel 4 new the other day truly appalling misinformation on the recent nice weather & for most of the programme.
July 15, 2026
Surely it is those that we ask to run the Country that don’t understand their own job – as in, to create a frameworks were all can thrive, find fulfilment, reach potential.
From the outside looking in so many things are hitting our legal/regulation framework are in response to as much as one single knee-jerk situation. Do they need legal or regulatory control. There is always a cost to others with excessive paperwork, management/worker time. It always a cost ‘to all’ not to just the odd-ball that may never arise again. Yet elsewhere when it is the so-called authorities spending other peoples, taxpayers, money, no questions no justification is asked for. No reports, no audits, no budgets – just spend. It becomes ‘well that’s what we do’, then when the service, the delivery never turns up there is ‘no responsibility’ for throwing other peoples money away. They(parliament, HoC, HoL) keep looking in the wrong direction, their lack of management/business acumen comes to mind in those we are forced to entrust our future with.
Look at the Elephant in the room ‘NetZero’ were is the costing, were is the money to come from and what does the establishment(parliament, HoC, HoL) do? look for deflection rather than do their job
Looking at it constructively our Parliament is looking to sanction a bureaucrats ‘wet-dream’, they(parliament) are being manipulated, to deflect attention from those who themselves have no purpose, clueless. Its as if they want to perpetuate the corruption of the EU Commission by mimicking its failures.
July 15, 2026
The world population has doubled since 1974 to about 8.3 billion people now. More needs more. Continually attempting to chase higher capacity instead of controlling world population can never reach a solution.
Try folding a sheet of paper in half several times. Limits are soon reached.
Many folk assess that a pack of 52 playing cards can be rearranged into thousands of different sequences. However, the number is extremely underestimated. The answer is approximately 80 million trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion different sequences.
8.3 billion people have many needs, and more and more want to travel and live here. Available space at Heathrow and elsewhere becomes ever more tightly crushed.
July 15, 2026
Here is the other problem with bad thinking behind it.
“The Environment Agency has been granted powers to impose Labour’s new form of anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos) on litter louts and other offenders guilty of repeated anti-social behaviour.”
Not the littering as that is abhorrent, but the use of commission based bodies to do the enforcing… Abuse writ Large
July 16, 2026
Graffiti sprayers often sign their destructive mess, so should be relatively easy to identify. Imprisonment would wipe it out, and prevent environments being displayed as places where it is safe to commit other crimes.
The objective is to stop the problem occurring. The enforcer is simply the dude enacting the redmedy.
July 15, 2026
Tonight we are playing football against Argentina.A country which raises fond memories.
In response to your lengthy speech to the Old Bufters/Bufteresses I merely think:RAF,RNAS
RAAC,RAFVR and me too’s in the other arms(old age catching up).In my humble opinion tonight’s
game means so much more to Buenos Aires and it’s nationals than it does to the people of
the United Kingdom and it’s ruling party.Our stand-alone defence capability n’existe pas.As for
“overseas adventures” anybody got a suggestion :two raised digits to M.O.D and penpushers
who nearly outnumber our serving first-line attack/defence forces.
July 15, 2026
Listening to Burnham my confidence in the system is somewhat restored ie. when I heard him talking about “decency” – the last leading politician I associated with decency was John Major – it was a long time ago
July 16, 2026
Merely talking about decency is not enough. Whatever you may recall about John Major, any decent words from him did not reduce the heavy effects of his failures, such as:
Indecisive leadership
Black Wednesday and economic stagnation
Incidents of Tory sleaze involving political, financial, and sexual scandals
Cabinet disagreements about Europe and constant backbench rebellions over the idiotic Maastricht Treaty
What value is talk of decency in that quagmire of putrid slush and stench of stagnant incompetence?
Burnham exhibits signs of potentially becoming even worse in different ways.