
MPs tonight voted 415 to 119 in favour of expanding Heathrow with a third runway in an historic step toward ending a decades-long battle over airports. The vote comes in defiance of furious protests claiming a new runway will be a disaster for the environment and a million people living nearby. Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye hailed the vote as a 'great day' for Britain within moment of the result, which effectively gives outline planning permission for the runway. Construction of the £14billion project (main image) is still years of and will be subject to detailed planning and likely court challenges. Parliament's Central Lobby was briefly sealed off by police ahead of the vote as the Vote No Heathrow group (top right) chanted and laid on the floor to block MPs moving about. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was ridiculed during the four-hour debate after he flew to Afghanistan (inset with Afghan minister Hekmat Karzai) to avoid the vote.