Sir Keir Starmer has refused to confirm the widely expected announcement on support for Heathrow expansion.

However, he did reiterate that the government would back pro-growth policies.

On Sunday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves hinted that the government would support a third runway at Heathrow, saying “sustainable aviation and economic growth go hand in hand”.

Asked if he was choosing growth over net zero commitments, the prime minister said: “I’m not going to speculate about Heathrow and any decision there.

“What I will say is that growth is the number one priority, wealth creation, making sure that people are better off.

“Of course, we also have climate commitments but growth is really important too.”

Sir Keir, who was at Bloomberg’s HQ in the City of London, said he has been “absolutely clear what the number one priority of the government is”.

“That is growing our economy so it’s thriving, growing it in a way that we get wealth creation in every part of the United Kingdom and growing in a way that people feel genuinely better off.”

PM warns of ‘cohort of loners who are extreme’

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted it is important to focus resources on the threats faced by the UK today, including a “cohort of loners who are extreme”. 

The prime minister said this way, “can deploy our resource properly and therefore we’re looking carefully where the key challenges are”.

Sir Keir said: “Obviously, that’s now informed with what I said last week in the aftermath of the Southport murders, where we’ve got the additional challenge, I think, of a cohort of loners who are extreme and they need to be factored in.

“So that’s the focus. In the end, what this comes down to is the safety and security of people across the United Kingdom, that’s my number one focus.”