government’s controversial plan to extend the Beef Island runway to 7,000 feet to enable more direct flights to the United States mainland and beyond. To access funds for the project, the premier has repeatedly urged London to ease borrowing restrictions under a 2012 UK-VI agreement known as the Protocols for Effective Financial Management. Following the Joint Ministerial Council summit between the British government and the overseas territories last November, he expressed optimism that the UK would soon comply. But now, he said, London has gone quiet on the issue. “I am concerned about how long it has taken for them to approve it,” he said during a March 10 interview. “We are waiting on the United Kingdom. We haven’t gotten any information from them about approval.” In making his case, Mr. Wheatley cited support from Baroness Margaret Hodge, the UK “anti-corruption champion” who has frequently criticised the VI’s financial services industry and who suggested during a recent visit that the territory should focus more on expanding tourism. “It’s clear to everybody that it’s a necessary project,” the premier said of the airport expansion. “Even Dame Hodge came down and acknowledged how important of a project it would be to us. But we haven’t got any movement.” Mr. Wheatley was open in his frustration with London on the matter. “I have no idea why it is,” he added. “My guess is as good as yours. I’m baffled as to why they haven’t given the go-ahead yet.” He also warned that the approval is a matter of urgency for the territory. “I am going to make inquiries as to why we haven’t heard back on the approval, because time is running out right now,” he said. Economy The premier added that he believes the airport expansion is key to shoring up the VI economy. “It is very clear: To take our tourism product to the next level, we need an airport — and that would actually lessen our reliance on the financial services industry and diversify the economy,” he said. The premier stressed last week that the territory needs to raise its game in terms of connectivity to the US market. “We want to be able to fly directly to as many places as possible — particularly to the eastern seaboard of the United States: New York, Atlanta, Boston,” he said. “And if we could make it to Dallas, that would be awesome. So I think we need a length that can allow us to get the right equipment on the runway.” Controversy The Cabinet agreed last October to press ahead with expansion of the runway from the present 4,648 feet to 7,000 feet following more than a decade of promises and arguments about the project under successive governments. Supporters say the move is key to boosting the tourism industry, but opponents have raised environmental concerns and questioned whether the territory has the infrastructure and industry capacity to justify the upgrade. As recently as November, Mr. Wheatley was upbeat about the prospect of London easing borrowing controls to allow the expansion to move forward. He told a press conference at the time that UK Overseas Territories Minister Stephen Doughty had “expressed openness” to amending the 2012 protocols to “reduce the mandated liquidity ratio — the minimum reserve of cash and short-term assets — from 25 percent to 20 percent of the current revenue.” ‘Pivotal step’ The premier added at the time that a looser arrangement was needed. “This consensus marks a pivotal step towards balancing fiscal prudence with the territory’s need for greater budgetary flexibility to fund crucial capital projects and drive economic diversification,” he said at the time. The government’s concern over London’s alleged lack of interest in the airport expansion comes ahead of looming negotiations on the future constitutional relationship between the VI and the UK. No comment The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office did not respond to a request for comment on the matter as of Beacon press time yesterday afternoon.