Not in our backyard! A Bill that threatens historic right to protest
More than 60 Labour MPs are threatening to derail plans to weaken people’s long-standing right to oppose the building of new nuclear power stations and airport runways in their own “backyards”.
Ministers want to hand the final decisions to an unelected quango, and Labour whips are trying to head off a backbench rebellion when the Planning Bill is debated in the Commons tomorrow. Sixty-three Labour MPs have threatened to vote against the measure and ministers are set to offer concessions to avert an embarrassing first Commons defeat for Gordon Brown – one which would prompt further questions about his authority.