Hotel tycoon hires Britain’s best-paid barrister for Heathrow showdown

 Hotel tycoon Surinder Arora has hired Britain’s best-paid barrister in anticipation of a potential showdown over Heathrow’s third runway.

Lord Pannick KC, who is believed to charge £5,000 an hour, has been drafted in by Mr Arora as tensions escalate over the airport’s expansion.

Mr Arora is at odds with Heathrow over plans for a third runway, as he aims to usurp the airport’s £49bn proposal with a cheaper, speedier alternative worth £25bn.

The Government will soon decide on the best proposal to lead on the project, raising the stakes for parties involved.

Lord Pannick, who was hired by the hotel magnate in recent weeks, is renowned as one of the most feared litigators in Britain.

He is Manchester City’s leading lawyer in the club’s fight against the Premier League, while he also represented Boris Johnson during attempts to clear his name over Partygate.

His instruction will serve as an indicator of a potential legal row that could break out over the expansion, particularly if Labour excludes Mr Arora from the project.

Lord Banner KC, one of the country’s leading planning law experts, has also been hired as part of Mr Arora’s legal team.

The appointments come after a period of escalating tensions over Heathrow, with airlines and Mr Arora both critical of how the airport’s proposal could increase costs further.

Heathrow is already Europe’s most expensive hub, causing increasing opposition from airlines such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

In an effort to take control of the situation, Philip Jansen, the new Heathrow chairman, has launched a charm offensive to de-escalate the row.

This included playing a round of golf with Mr Arora this month, just weeks after holding successive meetings with British Airways owner International Airlines Group.

This is in stark contrast to the approach taken by Thomas Woldbye, Heathrow’s chief executive, who has criticised Mr Arora’s bid to open up the airport to rival developers.

In particular, he has attacked the prospect of Mr Arora being able to operate one runway in competition with Heathrow, claiming this would turn Britain into “the laughing stock of the world”.

He even recently told The Telegraph that Heathrow’s investors could walk away from the project if this were to happen.

Mr Arora responded by claiming that Mr Woldbye was “putting a gun to the Government’s head”.

Under Mr Arora’s proposal, a shorter third runway would be built that could be extended at a later date.

That is unlike Heathrow’s longer strip, which would involve building over the M25 motorway.

Mr Arora declined to comment. Lord Pannick’s Blackstone Chambers was contacted for comment.