Angela Eagle MP, Labour’s Shadow First Secretary of State and Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, commenting on the government’s announcement on airport expansion and its implications for businesses, said:

“Further delays to addressing our nation’s airport capacity issue is bad for business and it’s bad for Britain.

“Labour have long-argued the need for greater certainty and long-termism both from government and business; it’s why we had committed to setting up a National Infrastructure Commission. But the Tories are failing to keep their end of the bargain and David Cameron has broken his clear pledge to make a decision by the end of the year. Delaying the process shows the Tories are putting a self-interested political timetable ahead of the national interest.

“Businesses shouldn’t be surprised by the Tories’ political short-termism because they have form – whether it’s prevaricating on the vital infrastructure improvements our country needs or flirting with exit from the EU to try and keep their backbenchers on side, at every turn the Tories have shown that for them the national interest is a second-order issue.”