Heathrow's third runway can be built in 10 years, Reeves says

Heathrow's third runway can be built and operating in a decade's time, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said. Reeves told the BBC she wanted to see "spades in the ground" in the current Parliament and planes to start using the runway by 2035. She also said that Sadiq Khan, the Labour Mayor of London who is opposed to Heathrow's expansion, could not stop the new runway. Shadow chancellor Mel Stride said the Conservatives were in favour of a third runway at Heathrow "in principle" but "it remains to be seen" whether it can be built in a decade. The extra runway at Heathrow was one of a number of infrastructure projects announced by the chancellor on Wednesday as part of the government's plans to boost economic growth. "We think that we can get flights off within a decade," Reeves told the BBC. "I say that because we're not just announcing that we back it, we are changing the way that our planning system works to make it easier to deliver projects like the third runway at Heathrow." When asked if Sadiq Khan could stop the expansion the chancellor said "no". "There can be judicial reviews but we are confident that this airport expansion will happen, that we will get the third runway built," she said. Some have argued that it will take much longer than a decade for a third runway at Heathrow to become reality.<br/>