Heathrow third runway expansion: Boris Johnson says “it’s not going to happen”
"It's not going to happen" Boris Johnson has said of the Airport Commission's decision to back expansion at Heathrow airport.
The London mayor whose own proposals for a new airport on the Thames estuary dubbed "Boris Island" were sunk last year, called the Heathrow plans "disastrous".
He accused Sir Howard Davies who led the commission of providing a "political fig leaf for an establishment u-turn" on a third Heathrow runway, speaking to the BBC.
Johnson said he believes even if a third runway were to happen, by the time it was built in 2030, the UK would need a fourth runway and that a third runway would be an "inevitable precursor" to a fourth.
"This is the sort of thing you could possibly have got away with in China in the 1950s," he said of the impact of noise and pollution.
Heathrow chief executive John Hollands-Kaye responded to Johnson, insisting the expansion plans will go ahead.
"It can happen. We have huge support from businesses and local communities who want to grow their exports, they want to get to global markets. By expanding, we will help to deliver economic benefits for London and the UK," he said also speaking to the BBC.
The newly elected Tory MP for Uxbridge which is near Heathrow has been an outspoken opponent of the airport's expansion which could bring him into conflict with his own party.
The government has yet to comment on the reports decision.
Fellow Tory MP and mayoral hopeful Zac Goldsmith said he will resign if the government decide to back Heathrow too.