Grant Shapps denies lobbying against houses on airfields

The government has denied reports the transport secretary has lobbied to protect airfields from house building.

The Sunday Times reported that Grant Shapps, a keen amateur pilot, set up a team that helped airfields challenge developments.

It reported the Airfield Advisory Team (AAT) had been involved in objecting to home-building plans at a former airfield in Oxfordshire.

But the transport department insisted it was an independent advisory body.

Officials said the AAT was not a lobbying group, but provided advice to support promote civilian airfields and their economic and community benefits.

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner accused Mr Shapps of setting up a body "within his own department, to lobby his own government".

It is understood the group, which began work in late 2020, is funded by the Department for Transport and has two permanent employees.

It is based within the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), an arms-length body within the department charged with regulating civil aviation in the UK.

According to a CAA document from April, its role is to "sustain" the UK's network of airfields. This includes by providing advice to public bodies, like local planning authorities.

Mr Shapps, who became transport secretary in July 2019, is a keen aviation enthusiast and obtained a pilot licence in 1995.

Before taking up his current post, he had previously chaired a cross-party parliamentary group promoting the recreational use of aircraft.

The AAT has previously expressed concern about plans to build 3,000 homes on Chalgrove Airfield in Oxfordshire, arguing the site could not accommodate both the development and an existing testing site for ejection seats.

Homes England, which owns Chalgrove, said in May it would amend its plans to "take account" of the reservations.

The AAT has also objected to plans to build a gigafactory for electric car batteries on the site of Coventry Airport.

The report in the Sunday Times comes at a time when the behaviour of politicians is under intense scrutiny.

Mr Paterson, who denies wrongdoing, quit Parliament after the government's U-turn on its attempt to block his suspension.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme, Labour's Angela Rayner said the rules on MPs' second jobs needed to be "cleaned up".

She said her party would ban MPs from taking on "paid consultancy", directorships in companies, or becoming lobbyists.

But she added they would not ban all second jobs, noting that in "some areas" - such as whilst working as doctors - MPs would need to carry on to continue their professional registrations, and were providing "good public service".

A Department for Transport spokesperson said it was right for Mr Shapps to promote "all aspects" of his brief, "including the general aviation sector".

They added the sector "contributes £4bn to the economy and supports 40,000 jobs".