The government-appointed head of the UK's National Infrastructure Commission has warned that the inconclusive result of the general election must not be allowed to delay the start of crucial infrastructure projects.

Heathrow Airport and Hinkley Point: crucial infrastructure projects

Speaking to the BBC, Lord Adonis singled out expansion of Heathrow Airport and the new Hinkley Point nuclear power station as projects he said must go ahead amid the “dither and delay” that has resulted in the Conservative Party's failure to achieve an overall parliamentary majority in June's election.He pointed out that, despite being given the go-ahead by the government last October, the construction of a much-needed third runway at Heathrow did not feature when ministers outlined their legislative programme for the next two years in last week's Queen's Speech.Lord Adonis, a former transport secretary who was appointed by the government two years ago to oversee £100 billions-worth of infrastructure projects, told the BBC's Today programme, “At the moment, Heathrow is running at capacity. We cannot be open for business if you can't get in and out of the country.“It's 14 years since the original decision in principle was taken to proceed with Heathrow. There really is a limit to the dither and delay that we can engage in as a country when it comes to these massively important national infrastructure projects.”

Hinkley Point: a risky and expensive project?

Lord Adonis, who received public backing from the British Chambers of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry and the Federation of Small Businesses, also called for the government to press ahead with the £18 billion nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset, despite last week's report from the National Audit Office calling it “a risky and expensive project”.He rejected suggestions that ministers should rethink the project, saying, “All that 'think again' would do is put in jeopardy a large proportion of our electricity generating capacity for the future.”

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In a subsequent speech in London, Lord Adonis added, “Britain's historic weakness has been to under-invest in infrastructure, and to adopt a stop-go approach even where decisions are taken in principle.“Nothing symbolises this more than the long-running saga of Heathrow airport. A third runway was agreed in principle 14 years ago but there has still not been a firm decision to proceed.“There's no point saying Britain is open to the world if you can't get to and from the rest of the world because Heathrow is full.“Brexit and the hung parliament must not lead to dither and delay on the key infrastructure challenges facing the country.“We need to press on with decisions on Heathrow, HS2 to the North of England, new electricity generating capacity, and radical improvements to digital communications, to underpin jobs and economic growth.”For related news and features, visit our Enterprise section.Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online Directory  Get access to our free Global Mobility Toolkit

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