Reacting to today’s Budget, Back Heathrow Executive Director, Parmjit Dhanda said: “The Chancellor delivered his budget to Parliament today and talked about the need for economic growth.

“But if he is to deliver on his plan to control public borrowing and deliver economic growth, he needs to get on and build the new runway at Heathrow airport.”

“Plans for a new runway have been kicking around in Parliament for 17 years now. If the Chancellor is serious about delivering jobs and economic growth, it’s high time he coined his own phrase to finally 'Get Heathrow Done'.

“The Chancellor needs to follow the advice of the Appeal Court and get his ministerial colleagues around the table to look at industry plans to deliver expansion at Heathrow with net zero carbon emissions. Every day that ministers delay that conversation is costing the country billions in investment and up to 180,000 new jobs.”

On March 3rd the Appeal Court overturned the High Court decision to approve a new runway at Heathrow, stating that the plans needed to pause, for government to work with Heathrow and the aviation industry to incorporate the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

However, the government has yet to start this process or given an indication of when it will. The proposals for a new runway at Heathrow was agreed by Parliament by a majority of 196 in June 2018. Local opinion polling by Populus has consistently shown more residents support a new runway at Heathrow than oppose it in 16 of 18 local Parliamentary constituencies.