Heathrow backers 'fly in face' of Brexit with additional £650m
Additional investment will be used for expansion of Terminal 2 and new road tunnel, say airport bosses
Heathrow has received a £650m boost from its financial backers in a move the Daily Telegraph says has "flown in the face of any fears" over Brexit.
The money has been provided by a consortium of investors which own the UK's main air hub, including Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial, Qatar's sovereign wealth fund and one of Quebec's main pension funds.
Heathrow bosses said it money would be used for projects such as "the expansion of Terminal 2 and a new southern access tunnel for road traffic to the airport". The investment is not related to the proposed third runway, which has been given preliminary permission to proceed by the government but remains subject to a parliamentary vote next year.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
After the triggering of Article 50 yesterday, the move "suggests confidence by the overseas investors in Britain's potential as negotiations with the EU [over Brexit] get under way", says the Telegraph. It follows fresh commitment to the country by carmakers Nissan and Toyota and a new UK design hub from consumer electronics pioneer Dyson.
However, concerns over the impact of leaving the EU and the single market have been repeatedly raised by manufacturing and farming trade groups and many financial services giants are shifting jobs to the continent.
Heathrow is important in this context because "roughly 26 per cent of UK exports" go through the airport, says the Telegraph.
Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Thani, chief executive of Qatar Investment Authority, said: "Our investment in Heathrow is much more than just an investment in one of the world’s great airports – it's an investment in Britain's connections to the world.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
"As the UK reshapes its role in the world, we confirm our commitment as proud partners of a great trading nation."
-
Starbucks workers are planning their ‘biggest strike’ everThe Explainer The union said 92% of its members voted to strike
-
‘These wouldn’t be playgrounds for billionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The 5 best nuclear war movies of all timeThe Week Recommends ‘A House of Dynamite’ reanimates a dormant cinematic genre for our new age of atomic insecurity
-
Can the UK avoid the Trump tariff bombshell?Today's Big Question President says UK is 'way out of line' but it may still escape worst of US trade levies
-
Five years on, can Labour's reset fix Brexit?Today's Big Question Keir Starmer's revised deal could end up a 'messy' compromise that 'fails to satisfy anyone'
-
Why au pairs might become a thing of the pastUnder The Radar Brexit and wage ruling are threatening the 'mutually beneficial arrangement'
-
Brexit: where we are four years onThe Explainer Questions around immigration, trade and Northern Ireland remain as 'divisive as ever'
-
Is it time for Britons to accept they are poorer?Today's Big Question Remark from Bank of England’s Huw Pill condemned as ‘tin-eared’
-
Is Brexit to blame for the current financial crisis?Talking Point Some economists say leaving the EU is behind Britain’s worsening finances but others question the data
-
Labour shortages: the ‘most urgent problem’ facing the UK economy right nowSpeed Read Britain is currently in the grip of an ‘employment crisis’
-
Will the energy war hurt Europe more than Russia?Speed Read European Commission proposes a total ban on Russian oil