Gatwick development director Raymond Melee said the airport would press ahead with its plans to build a second runway, even if it was overlooked by Theresa May’s government.

Speaking at the Construction News Summit, Mr Melee said: “If we were not fortunate to get a runway decision we would continue because inevitably the government will come back to us as we need more capacity in the South-east.”

His comments come ahead of the government’s self-imposed October deadline to make a decision on airport capacity.

A number of reports have suggested that a decision will be made after a cabinet sub-committee meeting on airport expansion chaired by Mrs May on 18 October.

“I think we have the best [runway] proposal,” Mr Melee said.

“Heathrow, while a good airport, has failed four times. I am not sure whether doing it a fifth time would get a different result.”

Last week, Gatwick named American engineering giant Bechtel as its strategic partner to build a second runway at the airport.

The team has promised to have the second runway fully operational by 2025, if chosen by the government as the preferred location for extra runway capacity.

Architect Sir Terry Farrell has also been working on designs for the new Gatwick runway and terminal facility for a number of years and will work with Bechtel to bring the project to delivery phase.

The Times columnist Tim Montgomerie earlier told the Summit it would send a positive message to the world to back both Gatwick and Heathrow.

Mr Montgomerie, the founder of ConservativeHome, told CN Summit chair Andrew Neil he expected to see Heathrow given approval for a third runway, but that he was in favour of a second runway at Gatwick being built as well.

He said: “A double airport expansion would be the right signal to the world that we want to be a global Britain.”

Mr Montgomerie told the Summit that he expected Heathrow to be added to HS2 and Hinkley Point C as being approved by the government.

He added the fourth ‘h’, housing, was a priority across government and that ”construction will definitely be a more important sector” for this government.

However he added there were tensions between Theresa May and chancellor Philip Hammonds’ offices over the best way to proceed.

He said Theresa May sees the future of Britain as being an infrastructure and skills-led economy, but that as gilt yields had risen, there was more uncertainty in the Treasury over how to proceed with borrowing for infrastructure.