Can the Lib Dems profit from Zac Goldsmith’s resignation?

The political fallout is now coming from Theresa May’s decision to approve a third runway at Heathrow. Boris Johnson and Justine Greening have been granted the right to oppose the decision by Number 10. West London Tories are making clear that they are unhappy and Zac Goldsmith has already told his local constituency party that he’ll resign and trigger a by-election. For his part, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has made it clear he is looking at how he can be part of any legal challenge to Heathrow expansion. 

A Richmond Park by-election will be interesting, because although Goldsmith backed Brexit, the area voted heavily to Remain and was a Lib Dem seat until 2010. Expect the Liberal Democrats to go hell-for-leather in the seat; if they can’t win here, in these circumstances, they might as well go back to their constituencies and pack up their offices. 

But the bigger question is how quickly construction can actually start on a third runway? One senior Cabinet Minister thinks it will be a decade before the project is shovel-ready.