Met Police are re-examining enhanced Tube station footage nearly three decades after the BBC star's killing, as scrutiny intensifies around a controversial new suspect theory. Share For more than a quarter of a century, the murder of Jill Dando has haunted Britain. A single gunshot on a quiet Fulham street. No proven killer. No clear motive. And a trail of unanswered questions that continues to fascinate detectives, journalists and the public alike. Now, 27 years after the beloved BBC presenter was shot dead on her own doorstep, a fresh development has reignited interest in one of the country's most baffling unsolved crimes. The Metropolitan Police have confirmed they are re-examining CCTV footage captured shortly after Dando's murder, using modern enhancement technology that was unavailable when the investigation began in 1999. The footage centres on an unidentified figure known as "Man X", who was caught on camera at Putney ...
Heathrow's £49bn Third Runway Project Faces New Delay with Opening Pushed to 2039
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
Airlines, campaigners and local communities question whether Britain's most controversial airport expansion can ever be delivered.
Heathrow Airport’s long-promised third runway may not become operational until 2039, dealing another blow to one of Britain’s most controversial infrastructure projects. The £49 billion expansion, championed by Rachel Reeves as a major driver of investment, trade and economic growth, has been criticised as increasingly unrealistic amid planning delays, spiralling costs and fierce disagreement over who will ultimately pay for it.
The plans go far beyond laying a new strip of tarmac. Heathrow wants to build a 3,500-metre north-west runway, expand and modernise its terminals and divert part of the M25 through a tunnel beneath the enlarged airport. The runway and related road works have been estimated at £21 billion, with another £12 billion allocated to terminal construction and approximately £15 billion for wider airport improvements. Heathrow says the privately financed expansion could raise capacity from around 84 million to as many as 150 million passengers a year and create thousands of jobs.
However, airlines have questioned whether the project can be delivered at an acceptable cost. British Airways’ parent company, IAG, has reportedly argued that spending should be capped at £30 billion, while carriers fear that higher airport charges could eventually be passed on to passengers through more expensive fares. Heathrow maintains that taxpayers will not fund the scheme, but critics remain concerned that the Government could face pressure to intervene if private investment falls short or construction costs rise sharply.
The third-runway battle has already been running for more than 23 years. Heathrow publicly called for another runway in 2003, although discussions about expanding airport capacity stretch back much further. Labour approved a previous proposal in 2009, only for the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition to cancel it in 2010. The project was revived, backed by the Airports Commission in 2015 and approved by MPs in 2018, before becoming entangled in legal challenges over Britain’s climate commitments. A Court of Appeal ruling blocked it in 2020, but that decision was later overturned by the Supreme Court.
Environmental concerns remain at the heart of the opposition. Campaigners and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have warned that hundreds of thousands of additional flights could worsen carbon emissions, air pollution and aircraft noise. The Climate Change Committee has also warned that expansion under existing policies could threaten the UK’s legally binding carbon targets unless airlines fund significant carbon-removal measures. Local communities face further uncertainty, with hundreds of homes potentially requiring demolition to make way for the runway and surrounding infrastructure.
Supporters insist that Heathrow is already operating close to capacity and that expansion is essential if Britain wants to compete with major European aviation hubs. Yet a possible 2039 opening would mean passengers, businesses and nearby residents waiting years longer for a project first formally advanced at the beginning of the century. After decades of political promises, reversals, court battles and rising estimates, the central question is no longer simply whether Britain needs another runway—but whether this £49 billion vision can ever be delivered on time, within budget and without leaving passengers or the public to carry the financial and environmental cost.
