CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves will set out her goals for growth today — backing the construction of Britain’s biggest football ground.
The Sun can reveal Manchester United’s plans for a 100,000-seater mega-stadium will “generate growth” to the tune of £7billion every year.
Rachel Reeves has backed the construction of Britain’s biggest football ground[/caption]
Manchester United’s plans for a new 100,000-seater mega-stadium will ‘generate growth’ to the tune of more than £7billion every year[/caption]
Ms Reeves is expected to give the residential, transport and entertainment development at Old Trafford the green light — and back a new runway at Heathrow and possibly Gatwick airport too.
She has warned “low growth is not our destiny but growth will not come without a fight”.
All the decisions risk a major backlash from other parts of Britain desperate for similar investment.
Newcastle United and Aston Villa are also keen for government support for stadium developments and scores of Labour MPs may attempt to block any airport expansions.
But the Chancellor will insist she is “on the side of working people . . . willing to take the right decisions now to change our country’s course for the better”.
In a speech in Oxfordshire, she will say: “Britain’s potential has been held back for too long. We have accepted low expectations, stagnation and the risk of decline. We can do so much better.
“We are at the forefront of some of the most exciting developments in the world like artificial intelligence and life sciences. We have great companies, delivering jobs and investment in Britain.
“And we have fundamental strengths — in our history, our language, and our legal system — to compete in a global economy.”
Ms Reeves will also back a new rail link from Oxford to Cambridge, which will add an estimated £78billion to the economy over the next decade.
PM Sir Keir Starmer yesterday threw down the gauntlet to his ministers yesterday, saying growth must be “hard-wired into all Cabinet decisions”.
Last night, Tory Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffiths hit out, saying: “Words are cheap but a growth strategy cannot just be infrastructure projects for the 2030s.”
