Nigel Farage has criticised "broken" Britain after it emerged that a third runway at Heathrow Airport will be delayed by four years until 2039. The Reform UK leader posted on X: "Britain is truly a broken country, we can’t build or do anything."
Delay to 2039
On Saturday, September 26, it emerged that bosses at the UK's largest and busiest airport have told the Government that sticking to the current 2035 deadline is no longer possible. The shift comes as a blow to Prime Minister Andy Burnham's ambitions to boost Britain's economic growth as Labour's annual conference gets underway in Liverpool.
Mr Farage compared the UK to China, which he said has seen over 100 airports built in the past 25 years. According to China Data Portal, the country had 121 airports in 2000, with the figure rising to 263 in 2024.
Planning permission target
Heathrow aims to secure planning permission by 2029, and considered building the new runway within a decade to be a reasonable goal from the start. Its bosses believe it could be delivered more quickly, but that this may require further regulatory red tape to be removed beyond reforms that the Government has already made to planning law.
Reform's leader claimed only his party would reverse Britain's "third-world decline". Heathrow formed the backdrop for a policy announcement from Mr Farage in March when he said Reform would scrap air passenger duty on short-haul flights for family holidays.
Reactions and next steps
Two months prior to that, the then chancellor, Rachel Reeves, set the deadline for a third runway as 2035, a date which was considered ambitious even at that time.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: "It’s right that ambitious targets were set. The sooner expansion begins, the sooner the whole UK will benefit. Our focus has always been to secure planning permission by 2029. Once achieved, the runway will be open within a decade – and the benefits of expansion can be felt from today. At least 108,000 new jobs and billions invested in supply chains in every part of the country. This is a national project, 100% privately financed, which will support growth today and secure the UK’s position in the global economy once the runway opens."
Warren Kenny, GMB London Regional Secretary, said Heathrow had made it clear the hold up is due to planning and red tape. He added: "Politicians can fix that. The Chancellor (John Healey) is right to be clearing bottlenecks and we want to see that go further and faster. Finalise the framework, hold the vote and get building. There are 108,000 jobs waiting on this decision. Every year of dithering is a year of apprenticeships not started, contracts not signed and wages not paid."
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "There is currently no live planning application for a third runway, and we cannot comment on ongoing consultation processes or prejudice them in a way that will only delay progress. The timeline has always been ambitious. We’ll continue to work with promoters, including Heathrow, and all other stakeholders at pace to ensure the right framework is in place for which a planning application for a third runway could be considered."
