Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Rename Heathrow airport after Queen Elizabeth II to mark 100th birthday, says MP

Adam Jogee says it would be a ‘wonderful tribute’ to the late monarch who died aged 96 in September 2022.

Harry Taylor
Thursday 30 January 2025 08:20 EST
Queen Elizabeth II arriving back at Heathrow Airport after a visit to the United States in 2007 (PA/Tim Ockenden)
Queen Elizabeth II arriving back at Heathrow Airport after a visit to the United States in 2007 (PA/Tim Ockenden) (PA Archive)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A Labour MP has called for Heathrow airport to be renamed after Queen Elizabeth II to mark a century since her birth.

Adam Jogee (Newcastle-under-Lyme) said his proposal would be an suitable way of marking her “lifetime of service to the country and the Commonwealth”.

Speaking in the Commons on Thursday lunchtime, Mr Jogee said: “In October 2024 people from across Newcastle-under-Lyme came together for the unveiling of a wonderful statue of her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Queen’s Gardens.

“Now there’s been much talk of Heathrow Airport in recent days, and with that in mind, and as our nation will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late Queen in April 2026, would the leader back my calls to rename Heathrow Airport after her late majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

“What a wonderful tribute that would be for a lifetime of service to the country and the Commonwealth.”

It has already been confirmed that the official memorial will be sited in St James’ Park, near Buckingham Palace, to mark the centenary of her birth in April 2026.

Heathrow got its name in September 1966 to help distinguish it from other London airports, Gatwick and Stansted. Until then it had simply been known as London Airport.

However it is not the first time it has been suggested the the UK’s largest airport could be renamed after royalty.

There were calls to name it after Diana, Princess of Wales, after she was killed in a car crash in September 1997.

He (Mr Jogee) is absolutely right that we need to properly and appropriately and in a very big way mark the late Queen's extraordinary 70-year reign as the monarch of this country and all that she contributed to our public life, and national identity

Commons Leader Lucy Powell

Then-Conservative Party leader, and now Tory peer, Lord Hague of Richmond backed the idea, as did newly elected Labour MP turned Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Sir Lindsay told the BBC in 1997 that it would be a “marvellous working tribute” to her.

Terminal 2 at Heathrow is nicknamed the “Queen’s Terminal” after she opened it in 2014.

Airports in Liverpool and Belfast are already named after public figures, in light of John Lennon and George Best’s well known links with the cities.

Commons leader Lucy Powell praised his proposition as an “excellent idea”.

She said: “He is absolutely right that we need to properly and appropriately and in a very big way mark the late Queen’s extraordinary 70-year reign as the monarch of this country and all that she contributed to our public life, and national identity.

“There is, he will be aware, the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee has been set up to consider how best we could do that, and I will absolutely ensure that his suggestion will be fed into that committee.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in