Rachel Reeves has indicated her support for building a third runway at Heathrow airport, arguing that it would have environmental benefits such as fewer planes circling London.
Ahead of a major speech on economic growth this coming week, the chancellor made the case for Heathrow expansion and said there was “huge investment” in more sustainable aviation.
Speaking to BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Reeves did not deny she was planning to announce an expansion to Heathrow in her speech on Wednesday.
“Already this government had signed off expansion at London City airport and Stansted airport. Both of those decisions, again, were decisions that the previous government had stalled,” Reeves said. “We are getting on and delivering, that will be good for investment and trade in our country and also good for families wanting to go on cheaper holidays as well.”
Asked about past comments made by Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, about the impact of a third runway on the city’s air quality and progress towards UK’s net zero targets, Reeves said: “A lot has changed in terms of aviation.”
She added that “a third runway will mean that instead of circling London, flights can land at Heathrow” and that more sustainable aviation fuels were “changing carbon emissions from flying”.
“A lot has changed in aviation, and sustainable aviation and economic growth go hand-in-hand,” the chancellor added.
Speaking to Sky News’ Trevor Phillips on Sunday, Reeves said any announcement about airport expansion would be made “with full collective ministerial responsibility”. But she added: “Already this government has signed off housing developments, a datacentre infrastructure to support the AI and tech industry. We’ve supported onshore wind developments. We have supported a number of developments to get our country growing again.
“Decisions that were on the desks of previous ministers, but those decisions were either blocked or stalled, and as a result we haven’t had the economic growth and the investment that our country deserves to create those good jobs.”
The Guardian reported last week that Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, had warned cabinet colleagues that airport expansion was likely to put the UK in breach of its legally binding carbon budget, which keeps the government on track to meet its 2050 net zero emissions target.
Meanwhile, a leaked Treasury cost-benefit analysis suggested that sustainable fuels could increase the cost of a single economy airline fare by £37.80 by 2040. It stated that 75% of the costs of using more sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) would be passed to the consumer.
At the moment, planes use highly polluting kerosene for jet fuel. They can reduce their emissions by up to 80% using biofuels made from feedstocks, cooking oils or crops, but this takes up huge amounts of land and uses crops that could be used for food instead.
On Sunday Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative party leader, said she would support the construction of a third runway at Heathrow.
“I’ve had to vote on this before and I voted in support of the third runway. What I want to do is make sure it’s done in the right way,” she told Sky News.
“I think we need to make sure that we deliver infrastructure and if Heathrow airport thinks that a third runway is deliverable within the criteria that’s set, then I think that we should be honest and do the right thing.”
