Skylon is a new aircraft/spacecraft with an improved design from that very British concept, HOTOL (Horizontal Takeoff and Landing). HOTOL once promised London to Sydney in less than an hour by taking off like a plane then heading into orbit, before descending back down to land on an airport runway.
More information on the latest developments here:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/08/tech/innovation/spaceship-reinvented/index.html?iid=article_sidebar