Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Heathrow Airport Expansion: Economic Growth outside London

Tuesday 23 June 2026 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department for Transport has shown that Heathrow expansion would deliver UK-wide support for trade, with 40% of the estimated GDP benefits being outside London and the south-east.
  • A third runway at Heathrow means more than 60,000 good local jobs, and more than 40 billion for the British economy.
  • The Chancellor announced support for Heathrow expansion last year, claiming it would deliver 0.43% GDP growth.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Munira Wilson Lib Dem Twickenham
Economy Transport
Context

The question arises from concerns about the distribution of benefits from Heathrow's expansion. The MP references a significant reduction in GDP growth projections, highlighting potential negative impacts on regions outside London.

Question

What assessment has been made of the potential impact of Heathrow airport's expansion on economic growth in regions outside London?

Answer from Lucy Rigby

We have been clear that Heathrow expansion needs to benefit everyone, not just London. The Department for Transport has shown that expansion would deliver UK-wide support for trade, with 40% of the estimated GDP benefits from expansion being outside London and the south-east.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q2 Munira Wilson Lib Dem Twickenham
Economy Transport
Context

The MP highlights the Chancellor's previous claim that Heathrow expansion would deliver 0.43% GDP growth, contrasting it with a recent national policy statement predicting just 0.05% growth, most likely to be redirected from other regions.

Question

When the Chancellor announced her support for Heathrow expansion last year, she claimed that it would deliver 0.43% GDP growth. The Heathrow expansion national policy statement snuck out last week predicts a 90% reduction in that figure to just 0.05% growth; what little growth there might be will largely be sucked out of other parts of the country, such as Birmingham and Manchester. Will she now finally admit that Heathrow expansion is not the grand growth plan she thought it was, and that it will hurt areas outside London the most?

Answer from Lucy Rigby

Nothing was snuck out. A third runway at Heathrow means more than 60,000 good local jobs, and more than £40 billion for the British economy. The hon. Lady's question rather highlights the Lib Dems' curious approach to growth. When they were in government, they decimated our economy with austerity, and now they oppose all the investment in infrastructure needed for growth.

Not addressed: The reduced GDP impact on non-London regions and whether Heathrow expansion will hurt these areas

How: Criticising Opposition

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)