Rachel Reeves prepares for clash with Labour colleagues, declaring economic growth must ‘trump’ Net Zero ambition
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CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves is prepared for a head-on clash with Cabinet colleagues, declaring economic growth must trump Net Zero ambitions. Ms Reeves insisted a thriving economy must take precedence over hitting green targets ahead of a pending split over Heathrow expansion plans.
![[Woman in green jacket speaking at Bloomberg event.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/newspress-collage-fbmohdegd-1737581094808.jpg?1737581124&strip=all&w=960)
And she appeared ready to open a rift with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who said this week that the transition to Net Zero was “unstoppable” but not happening “fast enough”. Ms Reeves, who is in Davos, Switzerland, to court business leaders, appeared to be backed by Sir Keir Starmer who said he was “committed to growth” but refused to comment on plans for a third runway at Heathrow.
![[Chancellor Rachel Reeves at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-davos-switzerland-chancellor-rachel-965803028.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
She said: “This was the last government’s problem. “There was always somebody that said, ‘Oh, yes, of course, we want to grow the economy but we don’t like that investment.’. “Or, ‘We don’t like that wind farm, we don’t like those pylons, we don’t like that airport’.”.
Speaking at a Bloomberg event, she added: “The answer can’t always be no. “When we say growth is the number one mission of this Government we mean it — and that means it trumps other things.”. She is expected to give her backing to Heathrow expansion and more capacity at Gatwick and Luton in a speech next week.
And PM Sir Keir Starmer looks set to U-turn on the third runway, telling MPs yesterday he was “committed to growth”. Sir Keir and Cabinet Ministers such as Miliband and Environment Secretary Steve Reed have previously voted against expansion of the West London airport.
