Personally I think the decision should have been LHR plus one of LGW or STN. But LHR was probably the right political call for the SE runway. If LGW had been chosen I don’t think LHR would ever have gotten the runway it needs. I think LGW has a better chance of getting a second runway so it can “compete” with LHR, other London airports, MAN and maybe even Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam, et al.
Global trading Britan is going to need to get people and goods on and off the island.