London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 25, 2025

Extinction Rebellion block roads outside Heathrow Airport

Extinction Rebellion protesters staged a mass ‘lie-in’ in front of a bulldozer outside Heathrow today in protest against a third airport runway, blocking two lanes of traffic.
Dozens of activists lay down before the vehicle after cycling there en masse, at times bringing traffic to a standstill.

Part of Bath Road, above the busy Tunnel Road roundabout feeding into the airport, was closed for the stunt, with traffic disrupted.

Police allowed it to continue until mid-afternoon but warned protesters they faced arrest if they stayed longer or breached the designated zone.

Extinction Rebellion claim the building of a third runway is incompatible with both their own demand for net-zero carbon emissions by 2025 and the UK’s statutory target to reach the milestone by 2050.

The activists said the bright pink bulldozer referred to Boris Johnson’s promise in 2015 that he would lie in front of if the expansion went ahead.

They invited him and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell to the lie-in. Both politicians have a history of opposing Heathrow’s expansion and represent constituencies close to the airport.

In his celebratory speech after being elected MP for Uxbridge, Mr Johnson said: ‘John McDonnell, I will join you. I will lie down in front of those bulldozers and stop the construction of that third runway.’

Mr Johnson was on a trip abroad as Foreign Secretary when MPs voted in favour of expansion in June last year.

Critics questioned whether he could have rearranged the visit to Kabul for talks with the Afghan government in order to fulfil his pledge.

Anti-expansion campaigners also criticised Labour for giving MPs a free vote on the scheme despite its official position of opposing expansion.

A spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion said some 300 people took part and that the protest wound down in time with police orders.

TfL Traffic had told drivers to expect delays as the convoy of cyclists mad their way from Hyde Park Corner to Heathrow.

Met Police Commander Dave Musker said before the stunt: ‘The police must balance the rights of Londoners and those visiting the capital to go about their daily lives without serious disruption with the right to peaceful protest.

‘After careful consideration I have made an operational decision to request the authority from my Assistant Commissioner to implement conditions on this demonstration based on the information available to me.’
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×