Delegates at the Labour Party conference heard of wide business backing for plans to expand airports in the South-East.

Crawley MP Laura Moffatt, who supports a new runway at Gatwick, spoke out at a fringe meeting organised by Sussex Enterprise at the conference in Bournemouth.

The consortium of business leaders is backing controversial plans for a second runway at Gatwick, claiming it would create up to 21,000 new jobs.

The Labour MP, whose constituency includes Gatwick, was one of those speaking in favour of the expansion, which is resisted by a dedicated local campaign group.

Ms Moffatt said a sensible debate had taken place locally, but she believed there was a 50-50 split for and against.

Hove MP Ivor Caplin said ruling out the second runway could deal a huge blow to the Sussex economy. The airport provides 10,000 jobs in Brighton and Hove alone.

He said it would also lead to increased congestion, more delays and redundancies.

Mr Caplin believes expanding air capacity in the South-East is a straight choice between Gatwick and building an entirely new airport at Cliffe, in Kent.

He said the plans for Cliffe would do more damage to the environment, adding: "I reject the suggestion you can either support the environment or the second runway. That is palpable nonsense."

Patrick O'Keeffe, of the TGWU union, warned airlines could desert Gatwick without the second runway. Flights could instead go to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, Frankfurt or Holland.

He pointed out British Airways had already switched flights away from Gatwick and added: "Five hundred jobs are lost for every plane taken out of the system."

The Government announced three possible options for extending Gatwick earlier this year.

These included a new full-length runway to the south and parallel to the existing one, a full-length runway about 1,000 metres to the south of the existing one or two new runways, one to the south and a new runway to the north.

This option would destroy 430 homes, 18 grade II listed buildings and take 530 hectares of green belt and is fiercely opposed by residents' groups.

Thursday October 02, 2003