Cabinet ministers heap pressure on Burnham over Heathrow Airport as Chancellor says expansion can drive growth

Published: 10:43 EST, 11 November 2026 | Updated: 10:48 EST, 11 November 2026 Cabinet ministers heaped pressure on Andy Burnham over Heathrow expansion today as Labour tensions rise.Chancellor John Healey insisted the Government is 'behind' the project despite the PM taking a non-committal stance.Separately, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told a conference that ministers were 'moving Heaven and Earth' to get the scheme going and it would be a 'shot in the arm' for the South East.Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves were strongly supportive of the third runway at Heathrow, but Mr Burnham has struck a distinctly ambivalent tone since entering No10.The PM has a record of attacks on the proposal going back years. In January last year, when he was still mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham labelled the expansion a 'model for an ever-overheating UK economy'.He warned it could not come at the 'expense of essential investment in northern infrastructure'. Bosses at the airport are seeking to obtain permission to build a full-length, 3,500-metre runway Chancellor John Healey insisted the Government is 'behind' the project despite the PM taking a non-committal stanceCabinet factions now appear to be lining up for a battle over the fate of the plans, with Mr Healey, Ms Alexander and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds viewed as the main champions.Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and Net Zero Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh are said to be far more sceptical.The Government is now considering the responses to a consultation on the national planning statement, with a Commons vote anticipated next year - although sources insisted no timetable has been fixed yet.Asked what assessment had been made by the Treasury of the economic benefits of a third runway, Mr Healey told the Treasury Select Committee: 'So the Government is behind a third runway at Heathrow, I'm part of the Government.'Our experience in recent decades, is it not, is that successful airports are very often an engine for economic growth in the wider area? That's as true in Manchester as it is true in parts of London and elsewhere.'In terms of the assessment following the consultation period, that's not led by the Treasury. That's led by the Department for Transport, and the Government is working through the responses and the further update information we've got from that.'Speaking at the Airlines UK conference, Ms Alexander said: 'No government in recent years has moved further or faster on airport expansion than this one.'Within months of becoming Transport Secretary, I approved proposals from both Luton and Gatwick.'It was a shot in the arm for capacity in the South East,'Tens of millions of extra passengers. Thousands of new jobs. New routes made possible...'The same applies to Heathrow. We've been clear that a third runway has the potential to unlock opportunities, jobs, investment and growth across the country.'That's why we moved heaven and earth to deliver a draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement faster than expected.'But before we make a final decision consistent with our four tests, we're rightly listening to what the public and industry have told us through the consultation.'In 2018 Mr Burnham said: 'I'm against a third runway at Heathrow because of the need to limit national levels of aviation. We should use spare capacity at Manchester and Birmingham instead.' The PM (pictured in the Commons today) has a record of attacks on the proposal going back yearsThe following year he warned that the expansion would 'trap infrastructure spending inside the M25 for ten years'. Heathrow Airport Limited wants to obtain permission to build a full-length, 3,500-metre runway, which would require moving the M25 motorway.Ms Reeves said in June that she was determined to get 'spades in the ground' for the third runway in the current Parliament and aimed to finish the project by 2035.However, there are now suggestions that 2039 is likely to be the earliest possible year for completion, with hopes that planning permission will be finalised in 2029.