Crispin Blunt, the Tory MP for Reigate who is opposed to expanding Gatwick, has written to Sir Jeremy Heywood asking him to ensure that Cabinet ministers “who have a constituency interest in the national decision to be taken on airport expansion” are not involved in the decision. Mr Blunt had written to Sir Jeremy on June 10 to seek “assurances that the provisions on conflicts of interest in the Ministerial Code will apply to Ministers who have a constituency interest in opposing a new runway at Heathrow”.
Sir Jeremy replied: “These matters are considered on a case-by-case basis, reflecting specific Ministerial responsibilities and the nature of any constituency interest.
“These Code provisions will of course apply to the Government’s response to the Airports Commission’s Final Report.”
Mr Blunt said in reply to Sir Jeremy’s letter that the suggestion that the Ministerial Code only applies to Ministers’ decision-making within departments and not when involved in collective Government consideration was “a risible proposition, if it was not so serious as to significantly prejudice the national interest in this instance”.
Interesting! - Would free the decision from some of the politics getting in the way!