The government has realised that planes will still take off, even in a lower carbon future, so they may as well do it from Heathrow. They should apply the same logic to fossil fuels and allow drilling in the North Sea, says Will Cooling

The New Year has clearly brought with it new energy from the government when it comes to the economy. They’ve called regulators into the Treasury to stress the importance of getting out of the way of business, approved key infrastructure that makes developing the Oxford-Cambridge Arc into Britain’s Silicon Valley a realistic possibility, and rolled out proposals to seize the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence.

Much of this activity is to repair the damage to consumer and investor confidence caused by Rachel Reeves doom-laden announcements and misfiring Budget. What there hasn’t been as of yet is a genuine sign that the government has fundamentally changed its mind on an issue of substance. Perhaps the closest is the question of airport expansion, with the Chancellor making it clear that the government was now minded to support not just a third runway at Heathrow Airport but similar projects around the........

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