"But one Tory Minister has told me that the Government should lay the groundwork now for building a third runway here at Heathrow after the next election, and that the next Conservative manifesto shouldn't include any promises that would rule out future airport expansion"
Ah yes, all in the future. AFTER the next election (2015). i.e. this = Nothing.
On a related not to this thread - and sorry if it's already been flagged - I see this on the BBC and presumed that with the title is was about the Thames estury:
BBC News - Jobs or birds: Turning Rio rhetoric into reality
Lydd expansion anyone??????