ANDY SLAUGHTER RESIGNS FROM GOVERNMENT

The battle over Heathrow is likely to have many casualties - some of them will be London Labour MPs who are likely to lose their seats as a result of the Government's decision to plough on with moves to build a third runway and thereby alienate voters on the flightpath. Environmentally, as Ministers Hilary Benn and Ed Miliband have let it be known, it is simply not the right thing to do. Politically, it's sheer madness.
Gerald Kaufman, MP for Manchester Gorton, once famously described the 1983 Manifesto as being the " longest suicide note in history." Backing the Heathrow plans could well cost us the next General Election. So I applaud Andy's principled stance in steppping down as PPS to Lord Malloch-Brown. It's not only a principled stance - it throws a lifeline to all of us who want to see Labour win.