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Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the drive for growth “outweighs” the government’s net zero commitments as it prepares signaling his support for airport expansion in the London region, including Heathrow.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Reeves said: “When we say that growth is the number one mission of this government, we mean it. That means it overrides other things.”
In a speech next week, Reeves is expected to signal the government’s support for the expansion of Gatwick and Luton airports, while reaffirming his support for a third runway at Heathrow.
Heathrow expansion has previously been opposed by Sir Keir Starmer and several senior Labor figures, and the issue is likely to split the cabinet.
A decision on whether to accept the proposal would force the government to choose between its stated goals of boosting “growth” and reducing carbon emissions in the UK.
Some Whitehall officials believe Reeves, a proponent of Heathrow expansion, is trying to get Starmer to publicly support a third runway. “That is not my assessment,” said one of the Prime Minister’s allies.
Starmer, asked about the issue in the House of Commons on Wednesday, declined to comment on “speculation”, adding: “We as a government are committed to growth. We are committed to the aviation sector and our climate commitments.”
In theory, Reeves’ renewed support for Heathrow’s third runway could be the political signal the airport authority needs before deciding whether or not to proceed with proposals later this year.
In the last House of Commons vote on a third runway at Heathrow in 2018, seven members of the current government voted against, including Starmer. The others were Ed Miliband, Steve Reed, Lisa Nandy, Darren Jones, Anneliese Dodds and Hilary Benn.
But Heathrow management was reluctant to revive the scheme without clear political backing. Miliband, who is now climate change secretary, threatened to resign over the issue during Gordon Brown’s government, while London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is also still opposed.
A spokesman for Khan said this week: “The Mayor has long opposed airport expansion around London – linked to the negative impact on air quality, noise and London’s ability to reach net zero by 2030.”
Critics argue that the huge expansion of flying is incompatible with the UK’s legally binding goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions, as aviation is one of the hardest industries to decarbonize — despite growing hopes for the use of “sustainable jet fuel”.
Downing Street said this week it still needed a third runway at Heathrow to meet its four tests on carbon emissions, noise, air quality and growth. The issues of local noise and air pollution are considered by experts to be the most difficult to solve in overcrowded west London.
