If Britain Is Serious About Going For Growth, Then It Should Say Yes To a Third Runway At Heathrow

Keir Starmer has made growth the ‘number one mission’ of his government, something which is long overdue and needed. There has been a lot of talk about how this may be achieved, and recently the focus has turned once again to the topic of Heathrow expansion.

Rachel Reeves announced her support recently for plans to expand Heathrow Airport, dismissing concerns from environmentalist groups around the negative impact a third runway may have on the UK meeting it’s net zero climate targets.

The opposition to a third runway at Heathrow is not just limited to environmental groups, current and former Mayors of London have voiced their concerns around any expansion to the UK’s largest airport. Boris Johnson once famously promised to lie down in front of bulldozers to prevent the construction of a third runway.
It may be hard to believe but the proposal for an extra runway at Heathrow was first made by Gordon Brown back in 2009, and since then has seen very little to no action.

If the government is serious about ‘going for growth’, it is imperative that it commits to expansion of Heathrow and doesn’t allow the plans to face various court challenges as it has done previously.

Currently Heathrow is not fit for purpose. Last year alone it handled 474,965 plane departures and arrivals, nearing the legal limit on the airport. Often passengers face delays in journeys due to plans being forced to circle above the airport waiting for space on the runway to land.

Britain cannot claim to be the global superpower it purports itself to be when it isn’t seamless to exit and enter the country.The jobs created from the expansion of the airport, near 100,000 the government suggests, will have an invaluable effect on not only the London economy but the overall economy of the UK, increasing GDP and tax receipts in the process.

For too long in this country we fail to get things done. HS2 being a prime example of a project which took far too long in the process, faced too many legal challenges and ended up being cancelled way further down the line than necessary.

The concerns around Heathrow expansion are not illegitimate. The environmental impact and impact on the local community, 750 households of which will face a compulsory purchase of their homes as a result, should of course be listened to.

However, Britain must get building. Whether that be runways, nuclear power stations, freeports or houses. Britain must build, and build fast, or face falling behind many of its European counterparts.

Words by James Childs

Cover Image Credit: Stay Grounded via Flickr