The Guardian
Helena Horton and Gwyn Topham
21 January 2025
Rachel Reeves hopes expansion will increase economic growth but Ed Miliband and Sadiq Khan oppose it
A plan for Rachel Reeves to back a third runway at Heathrow and an expansion of Gatwick and Luton airports has been labelled “desperate”, as the chancellor faces opposition from within Labour.
The chancellor is expected to make a swathe of announcements intended to increase economic growth in a speech later this month, including giving a political green light to the airports’ expansion.
Reeves will give her firm backing to the long-mooted plan to build a third runway at Heathrow, which is Britain’s busiest airport, is , along with bringing a second strip at Gatwick into full-time use and increasing the capacity of Luton, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the move.
Asked in the House of Commons on Tuesday to confirm if she was planning to announce her support for Heathrow expansion next week, Reeves said: “I’m not going to comment on leaks. What I would say is this government is absolutely committed to growing our economy and making this a great place for businesses to invest and trade in.”