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Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves has reportedly indicated to her MPs that the government will back a third runway at Heathrow Airport. The decision has been criticised by local residents and environmental groups, but would be supported by business leaders and the aviation industry. Reeves made the comments during a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party, telling her colleagues that there are “no easy routes” to economic growth. Although Reeves did not make the case for Heathrow expansion, Brentford and Isleworth MP Ruth Cadbury raised concerns about the issue.
Reeves’ comments have divided opinion within the Labour Party. Former shadow climate change secretary Barry Gardiner warned that a third Heathrow runway would undermine progress toward net zero carbon emissions. He claimed that there was a limit to what technological advances could achieve, and that climate experts believe that reaching net zero emissions would require a reduction in aviation. London Mayor Sadiq Khan, meanwhile, has repeated his opposition to airport expansion and suggested that any new proposals would need to address noise pollution and carbon emissions.
However, Reeves was welcomed with applause and table-banging at the parliamentary party meeting. The Chancellor’s aide later reported that there was “overwhelming support” for her within the party. Reeves is expected to address proposals to boost the economy, alongside changes to planning rules and the fast-tracking of permission for train station developments, during a speech later this week.
There is no existing application for a third runway at Heathrow, but the airport’s CEO has said that the company requires “clear steer” from the government by the end of 2025 if the proposals are to be taken forward. The idea of expansion was first put forward for consultation in 2007 and approved by the Labour government in 2009, but scrapped by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in 2010. It was subsequently reinstated by Theresa May’s government in 2016, although the decision was initially deemed unlawful by the Court of Appeal because it failed to account for climate commitments
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