Gail Downey: UK correspondent on the UK Government increasing funding for expansions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton airports

The UK Government is looking to 'fight for growth' and expand the resources dedicating to funding major airports.

British finance minister Rachel Reeves is expected to throw her support behind the expansion of Heathrow Airport in a bid to boost the economy. 

UK correspondent Gail Downey explained what else people could expect ahead of the incoming update. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And we're going to the UK Gale Downies with us
Hi Gail, Hi, Ryan. Lovely to have you on the show.
Tell us about the It sounds a bit like our
government yours is fighting for growth.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
That's exactly right. And the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves has been
talking about a major announcement for a week now and
today is the day she's going to make that major announcement,
which is expected to include the government giving its support
for a third runway at Hethrow Airport, together with expansion
plans at Gatwick and Luton. So the government can't prejudge

(00:34):
the results of any planning application, but the boss of
Heathrow has said the airport needed a clear steer from
the government by the end of this year. He's argued
the expansion is needed to keep up with rival airports
in Europe which have fewer passengers and more runways. Are
given examples so he Throw had eighty million passengers in
twenty twenty three and has two runways. Meanwhile, Skipple Airport

(00:56):
at Amsterdam has six runways, dealing with then and sixty
million passengers a year. However, any plans for expansion a
third runway have been opposed in the past and probably
in the future by environmentalists and residents living near the
airport and even some labor MPs. The Tories say Rachel
Reeves plans have been hastily cobbled together.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
Goodness, mate, let's talk about these numbers. You've got for
us a healthy food, a basket of healthy food versus
a basket of not so healthy food. What's the difference.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
The difference is that a basket of healthy food, so
it cost around sixteen dollars for basically a thousand calories
of healthy food, is twice as much as that of
eight dollars for the equivalent of less healthy food such
as ready meals and process mates. And it's analysis that's

(01:51):
been done by the UK charity, the Food Foundation, which
is worrying them because it says low income families simply
can't afford to eat healthily. So how it calculated is
it took the average price of four hundred and fifty
food items that are used by the Office of National
Statistics to calculate monthly inflation. It then graded the foods

(02:11):
on their nutritional value and that the concern, of course,
as I mentioned, is the fact that so many households
it's estimated eight million households in the UK are dealing
with food insecurities and have cut back on healthy food
because of that.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
Interesting basically double, isn't it? The bear stuff costs you double?
Speaking of expensive for you is a brut and for
me is a key. We we in basically, anyone who's
outside of the EU, we're going to have to pay
more to see the Mona Lisa.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Yes, it's part of a major refurbishment of the Louver
where the Mona Lisa is housed. And it was the
French President Immanuel Macron who talked about the expansion plans yesterday.
In fact, he's running an international competition to find out
to find an architect or planner whoever to design the refurbishment.

(03:06):
And he says that he's taking the Mona Lisa from
its current position in the loop, going to put it
into a separate exhibition space. Alongside that, as you say,
non EU residents like yourself and myself are going to
be charged more. He hasn't explained why we're going to
be charged more, but he just said we will be

(03:28):
charged more.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
I suppose someone's got to pay for it, don't they.
And it looks like it's our scale. Thank you. It
is that scale downy have a great day. A UK
correspondent with us.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
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Speaker 1 (03:42):
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