Airliners grounded at Heathrow

Labour MPs Back Airline Strikers

The seven have signed a Commons motion expressing their "full support" for the industrial action, in defiance of the Party leadership. Ministers have been careful to keep out of the dispute, which they say is a matter for the unions and BA management to sort out.

The MPs say the staff are attempting to "save their jobs and protect their conditions of employment". They urge the company to enter into what they call "serious negotiations" in an effort to resolve the dispute.

The motion was tabled by Ken Livingstone and John McDonnell. The other MPs who have signed it are Jeremy Corbyn, Dennis Skinner, John Cryer, John Cummings and Lawrence Cunliffe.

Jeremy Corbyn: "BA should grow up"

The strike has caused severe disruption to BA flights. Services from London's Heathrow Airport are the worst hit: the cancellations affect all domestic flights and more than half those to European and long-haul destinations.

What lies behind the dispute is the airline's wish to cut its salary bill by £42 million. The Transport and General Workers' Union, which has called the strike, says it is about more than that. It accuses managers of wanting to smash the union within BA.

During Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons, Tony Blair said he sympathised with the travelling public. But he repeated the Government's view that if the matter were to be resolved, it had to be resolved by the management and unions.