Mayor's Question Time, London Assembly

Zack Polanski, London Assembly Member

Official record: Greater London Authority: London Assembly minutes (transcript appendix). Retrieved 2 Oct 2026.

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How are you working with the Government to ensure they respect the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee on airport expansion?

Thank you very much. We have spoken about aviation a lot over the years, and it is good to see your journey on this because it sounds increasingly like you are becoming more and more clear that aviation expansion is not compatible within that net zero target, as outlined by the Committee on Climate Change but also in your own Accelerated Green Pathway.

Drilling down into the detail-maybe that is a bad metaphor-and looking at the Airport National Policy Statement (ANPS) in 2022, this is the same statement that essentially enables Heathrow expansion and you said that this needed to be suspended immediately at a bare minimum. You said that to the previous Government. What are you saying to the new Government?

Good. The ANPS is the mechanism in order to stop Heathrow expansion. Are you calling on this new Government to also suspend that ANPS at a bare minimum?

Thanks. That is good to hear on Heathrow expansion. Let us discuss the ANPS. You said to the last Government that it should be suspended with immediate effect. What are you saying to the new Government?

Those are words and I admit they are good words. They are not action. For a third time, you said to the previous Government to suspend the ANPS with immediate effect as a minimum. What are you saying to the new Government specifically on the ANPS with immediate effect?

Thank you. Will you commit to talking to the new Government? You said that you are going to write a letter to [The Rt Hon] Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor. You said that earlier today. Would you remind her about your comments about the ANPS?

Thank you. Would you cowrite a letter with me to the Chancellor repeating your statement about the ANPS? It is really important that if we want to stop Heathrow expansion, as I hear that you do and that is great, the way to stop it is by making sure the ANPS is suspended with immediate effect. If you are not willing to do that, it sounds like you are saying that you want Heathrow expansion to be stopped but you are not willing to take the action that would make that happen.

Thank you. People have heard that the Green Party is showing climate leadership on this and the Mayor is just talking.

That is completely not true. But if we want to talk about other parties, should we talk about your gifts from United Airlines from the conversation about gifts?

Is this climate leadership?

Thank you very much. No further questions. So poor.

The Mayor of London is not going to show any leadership, and [he is] the Chair of C40.

Sorry, I will stop.