𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Gatwick Airport’s £2.2 billion second runway plan could create thousands of jobs and help “kickstart the economy”, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said.

In the privately financed project, the West Sussex airport will move its emergency runway 12 metres north, enabling it to be used for departures of narrow-bodied planes such as Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s.

This will enable it to be used for about 100,000 more flights a year.

Ms Reeves said: “This Government promised to kickstart the economy – and we are.

“A second runway at Gatwick means thousands of more jobs and billions more in investment for the economy.”

The FTSE 100 is down 0.16 per cent this morning in a slow start to the week.

But longer-term context is important, says one expert.

“The FTSE 100 has dipped a touch this Monday morning, after a small retreat last week. Still, the index is up over 11.5% so far this year and up around 20% from its post-liberation day lows,” said Derren Nathan, head of equity research, Hargreaves Lansdown.

“However, UK stocks haven’t quite kept pace with US stock markets, which ended last week on yet another record high on hopes for a further relaxation in monetary policy over the remainder of 2025. The combination of structural value drivers from the Artificial Intelligence boom and higher than expected resilience within the global economy is helping investor confidence to keep its head above water.

“Wall Street is expected to edge down a little at the open. Markets are taking stock of guidance issued by the Trump administration over the weekend that revealed a $100,000 annual charge per employee of US workers holding an H-1B visa for skilled workers. It’s expected to apply to new applicants only, but it’s sparked some confusion amongst workers and enterprises alike.”

A company called dCarbonX has plans to build an emergency gas storage facility, to help insulate Britain against the threat of energy blackouts.

Holding six days’ worth of gas would boost the current levels by 50 per cent, the Telegraph reports.

The UK’s current plans are for 95 per cent of energy to come from green sources but with gas reserves held for periods of volatility.

The company’s boss, Tony O’Reilly, said: “Without domestic gas storage, the UK is exposed to global gas market volatility, especially during winter.

“The question isn’t whether we need more storage, it’s whether we’re serious about building it.”

Morning all, hope you had a good weekend.

A few bits to catch up on which broke across the business world last night so let’s get straight into it: airports, TikTok, tariffs, stock markets and more on the way.