Chancellor John Healey says a third Heathrow runway has always been a case for growth, but PM Andy Burnham still won't back it. Should the UK build it?
Heathrow's owners say they need the prime minister's explicit backing before the end of the year. The £33bn privately financed plan would raise the cap from 480,000 to 720,000 flights a year, demolish hundreds of homes and reroute the M25, and Heathrow now expects it to open in 2039.
What happened
On 17 October Chancellor John Healey, speaking at the IMF in Bangkok, said the case for a third runway at Heathrow "has always been a case for growth". Prime Minister Andy Burnham has declined to say whether he backs it, calling it "principally" a matter for London and Londoners and citing a live consultation. Heathrow's owners say they need his explicit backing before the end of the year. The £33bn scheme would lift the cap from 480,000 to 720,000 flights a year, and Heathrow now expects it to open in 2039 rather than 2035.
Why people disagree
Supporters, including Healey, other ministers, Heathrow and the GMB union, say the UK needs a top-tier hub airport for trade and growth, with direct links to fast-growing cities and jobs across the country; Heathrow puts the figure at 108,000. Opponents, including residents, climate campaigners and London mayor Sadiq Khan, point to environmental damage, hundreds of demolished homes and internal analysis that has revised down the project's net benefit.
What's still unclear
Whether Burnham will back the scheme once the Department for Transport has reviewed the consultation, whether the owners will proceed without his explicit support by the end of the year, and whether a 2039 opening is realistic given planning and regulatory hurdles.
Sources
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