LONDON — U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is in another fight with the Treasury. And, as the government desperately pursues good news on economic growth, he looks destined to lose again.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is on course to approve a new runway at Heathrow Airport, green-light the opening of London Gatwick’s second runway and back Luton Airport’s expansion plans, two officials told POLITICO.
The decisions, first reported by Bloomberg, would fit with Reeves’ desperate attempts to pull any lever she can to get the economy firing, after the most recent figures showed growth continuing to flatline.
Labour has made growth its central “mission” in government. It has also pledged to hit ambitious green targets for stripping carbon out of the economy — another Whitehall mission, this time spearheaded by Miliband, who insists he will not resign if the government does go ahead with airport expansion.
