Reeves looks to the skies in search of economic growth with support for Heathrow
Reeves looks to the skies in search of economic growth with support for Heathrow
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Rachel Reeves promised to systematically remove barriers to growth as she set out Government support for the Heathrow expansion in the hope of kickstarting the UK’s stuttering economy. The Chancellor insisted she was prepared to “fight” for new housing, infrastructure and business projects, including tearing up environmental regulations which hamper construction to protect “the bats and the newts”.
Her support for Heathrow will see her face down Labour critics and environmental campaigners, but she insisted support for the runway would support the economy across the country and showed the Government’s “seriousness”. Official figures have shown little or no economic growth since Labour took office in July, with Ms Reeves’ Budget imposing national insurance hikes on businesses, hitting confidence and potentially costing 50,000 jobs.
But Ms Reeves used a speech at a medical equipment firm in Oxfordshire to give a notably upbeat assessment of the UK’s economic prospects saying the Government had “begun to turn things around”. “We have fundamental strengths in our history, in our language and in our legal system to compete in a global economy, but for too long that potential has been held back. For too long we have accepted low expectations and accepted decline,” she said.
