# Healey backs Heathrow third runway in split from Burnham

> Chancellor John Healey says airport expansion drives growth, but PM Andy Burnham has sidestepped the issue.
- Title: Healey backs Heathrow third runway in split from Burnham
- Summary: Chancellor John Healey says airport expansion drives growth, but PM Andy Burnham has sidestepped the issue. Chancellor John Healey backed a third runway at…
- Keywords: heathrow, third runway, john healey, andy burnham, airport expansion, economic growth, uk government, politics, news, Healey, backs, third
- Source: The Independent — https://independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/heathrow-third-runway-john-healey-b3068453.html
- Published: 2026-10-17T07:17:46+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: heathrow, third runway, john healey, andy burnham, airport expansion, economic growth, uk government, politics, news
## Healey backs runway expansion
Chancellor John Healey said at the International Monetary Fund summit in Bangkok that airport expansion, including at Heathrow, had been a big part of jobs and growth in recent decades.

> a big part of jobs and growth
## Burnham sidesteps the issue
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has avoided taking a position on the runway, calling it a matter for London and Londoners last month, diverging from his predecessor Rachel Reeves.

> a matter for London and Londoners
## Heathrow needs government backing
Heathrow's chief executive Thomas Woldbye told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the airport needs explicit backing from the government before the end of the year to proceed with the project.
## Massive project faces opposition
The third runway has an estimated price of thirty three billion pounds, would demolish hundreds of homes, divert rivers and reroute the M twenty five motorway through a tunnel.
## Key takeaway

Chancellor John Healey backed a third runway at Heathrow for economic growth, diverging from PM Andy Burnham who has avoided taking a position.