Ed Miliband says he will not resign over Heathrow’s third runway

Energy secretary Ed Miliband says he will not resign if the UK government approves a third runway at Heathrow, making the scheme more likely to proceed after two decades of wrangling. Miliband has long fought against expanding Britain’s biggest airport on climate and pollution grounds, threatening to resign from the cabinet 17 years ago and opposing the scheme when he was Labour leader. As energy secretary, Miliband has a significant responsibility to help Britain hit its net zero climate targets. But when he was asked on Thursday if he would resign if the Labour government backed the scheme, he replied: “No, don’t be ridiculous.” Miliband’s concession comes as chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares to use a “growth speech” next week to signal her economic priorities, including her support for the expansion of three London airports: Heathrow, Luton and Gatwick. Gatwick and Luton are set to receive approval this spring for expansions from Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary. But Heathrow Airport Holdings has not yet put forward a “development consent order” application for a third runway because of a lack of political support. The company paused its planning for a third runway when the Covid pandemic struck in 2020, but has indicated it would make a decision on whether to go ahead this year.<br/>