Rachel Reeves was asked about the expansion plans for Heathrow when she appeared at Davos (Image: PA)
Cabinet rifts have intensified over Rachel Reeves’s plans to expand Heathrow after she insisted the need for economic growth trumped other concerns.
The Chancellor is expected to use a speech on growth next week to hail the need for a third runway at the west London airport and endorse expansions at Gatwick and Luton.
But the plans will face fierce resistance from environmental groups and senior Labour figures including London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
Both have previously spoken out against a third runway at Heathrow.
Sir Sadiq won a third term in 2024 on a platform of opposing any expansion of airports in the capital.
Rachel Reeves will speak in favour of expanding Heathrow (Image: PA)
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Ed Miliband has previously opposed a third runway (Image: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publis)
Prime Minister Sir voted against Heathrow expansion in June 2018.
Ms Reeves said she would not comment on “speculation” about Heathrow but pointed out that the Government has already taken “big decisions” by backing expansion plans at London City and Stansted airports.
At a Bloomberg event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Chancellor was challenged on whether Heathrow expansion would cause problems with Sir Sadiq and Mr Miliband.
She said: “This was the problem with the last government – that there was always somebody that said: ‘Oh yes, of course we want to grow the economy but we don’t like that investment, we don’t like that wind farm, we don’t like those pylons, we don’t like that airport, we don’t want that housing near us.’
“But the answer can’t always be ‘no’ and that’s been the problem in Britain for a long time, that when there was a choice between something that would grow the economy and anything else, anything else always won.
“Now, of course, there are other things that matter, but when we say that growth is the number-one mission of this Government, we mean it, and that means it trumps other things.
“And so we’re making pro-growth decisions in the national interest.”
At Prime Ministers’ Questions, Sir Keir refused to be drawn on the Heathrow speculation but added: “As a Government, we are committed to growth, we are committed to the aviation sector, and to our climate obligations.”
EasyJet chief executive Kenton Jarvis backed the expected announcement from the Chancellor, telling reporters: “We welcome the decisive action by the Government to grow the economy.
“We’ve always said that aviation, the industry, is an enabler of economic growth.”
Opponents of airport expansion claim boosting flights would be damaging to the environment.
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Alethea Warrington, head of aviation at climate charity Possible, said: “Approving airport expansions would be a catastrophic misstep for a Government which claims to be a climate leader.
“This huge increase in emissions won’t help our economy and would just encourage the small group of frequent flyers who take most of the flights, further worsening the UK’s huge tourism deficit.”
Jenny Bates, transport campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “A decision to green-light another runway at Heathrow would be hugely irresponsible in the midst of a climate emergency and given 2024 was the first year to surpass the all-important 1.5C threshold.
“It would also fly in the face of the Prime Minister’s promise to show international leadership on climate change.”
Heathrow’s third runway project secured parliamentary approval in June 2018 but has been delayed by legal challenges over the environmental impact, as well as the pandemic.
There is currently no Development Consent Order application for the scheme, and it is up to Heathrow if it submits one.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has until February 27 to decide whether to allow Gatwick to bring its existing emergency northern runway into routine use.
She has until April 3 to decide on Luton Airport’s bid to raise its cap on passenger numbers.