A UK Government minister has triggered a row by saying that London is “becoming a giant suction machine” that is “draining the life” from the rest of the country.
Business Secretary Vince Cable’s claims, made yesterday, were branded “ridiculous” by London Mayor Boris Johnson but seized upon by the SNP.
Liberal Democrat Mr Cable was discussing a report into whether to build a third runway at London Heathrow Airport.
He said: “One of the big problems we have at the moment – which I don’t think the report sufficiently addresses – is that London is becoming a kind of giant suction machine, draining the life out of the rest of the country, and I think more balance in that respect would be helpful.”
He added: “What this report is doing . . . is trying to reconcile two different things.
“One is to try to ensure that from the economic interests of the country we have more connections to the big emerging markets.
“On the other hand, we have hundreds of thousands of people in London living under the flight path with very serious issues of noise.”
MP Stewart Hosie, the SNP’s Treasury spokesman, said: “Vince Cable is only confirming what we all know – that London has a disproportionate and deeply damaging pull on UK policy.
“Westminster is putting all its economic eggs in the London basket, and now even senior government ministers are admitting that it is causing huge problems for the rest of the UK.”
Mr Johnson, a Conservative, launched an attack on Mr Cable’s comments.
“What a stupefying and ridiculous assertion to make, and this from the Cabinet minister in charge of supposedly growing the UK economy,” he said.
“He’s talking rubbish. I’m amazed and I fundamentally disagree. In fact, the opposite is true. London now contributes more to UK GDP than ever before.”