PROPOSALS to build an airport at Cliffe are a "total fraud" and will never come to fruition because Labour MPs would lose their seats, claims a former Conservative minister.

John Gummer, who was the Secretary of State for the Environment for four years in the 1990s, said the Government would eventually kill off the Cliffe scheme for purely political reasons.

He made his comments at a county council conference to launch a new environmental strategy for Kent. Mr Gummer, who was educated in the Medway Towns and lived in the county for 24 years, said:"Cliffe is never going to be built and has nothing to do with a real airport strategy.

"It is a proposal to protect Labour because they [the Government] intends to build two new runways in Stansted. That is the proposal and it always has been."

He went on: "Cliffe is a total fraud. The reason why it will not be built is that it is surrounded by marginal seats whereas the Government knows that it will not win any seats around Stansted."

However, he accepted it was still important for campaign groups took a tough stance against the scheme. He stressed: "Kent must still fight a battle. It should say that it accepts that it has a role in being the gateway to Europe but should also say: 'Don't push us too far."

The Medway Towns have been represented by Labour MPs since 1997 as have adjacent constituencies in Sittingbourne and Sheppey, Gravesham and Dartford. If the airport was approved, it would have a huge impact on all six seats and would undoubtedly be a key election issue.

Mr Gummer said he favoured the expansion of Heathrow as the best option but called on the Government to do more to develop alternative ways of travel.