Westminster Chancellor Rachel Reeves, England’s equivalent of the minister for finance, has confirmed Labour party government support for a third runway at Heathrow Airport, inviting proposals by summer 2025 and ensuring alignment with environmental and climate objectives.
The project, expected to create 100,000 jobs, will be funded privately, with Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye highlighting its potential to unlock billions in private investment and boost the local economy.
The expansion requires airspace modernisation and regulatory reforms, with planning permission targeted before the end of the current Parliament.
The decision follows years of debate, including the Airports Commission’s 2015 backing, a 2020 Court of Appeal ruling that the government’s decision to approve Heathrow expansion was unlawful, a judgement in the Supreme Court later that year overruling the decision, once again paving the way for a third runway to be built. and previous government opposition due to environmental concerns.
