Overview
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham has publicly urged that Londoners’ voices be heard on Heathrow expansion, signalling caution about the third runway and creating a clear distance from ministers who support the plan.
- Chancellor John Healey has said the economic case for a third runway 'stacks up' and the government has offered political backing for expansion, with Heathrow and supporters citing jobs, lower fares and regional growth.
- Heathrow Airport Limited proposes a full-length 3,500-metre runway that would require moving the M25 and has been estimated in coverage at around £49 billion, but no formal planning application has yet been submitted.
- Opponents including climate experts and the Mayor of London warn the project would raise aviation emissions and concentrate public investment in the south, and they point to spare capacity at regional airports as alternatives.
- The national policy consultation recently closed and the scheme still faces parliamentary committee scrutiny, planning approvals and likely legal challenges, meaning the proposal remains politically and procedurally unresolved.