Boris Johnson says third runway at Heathrow “will be stopped”
Foreign secretary Boris Johnson has said a third runway at Heathrow is "undeliverable", after the government gave the airport's expansion plan the green light earlier today.
"I think it very likely it will be stopped," Johnson added.
The former London mayor has been set against expansion of the west London airport for years now. He previously advocated for a brand new four-runway airport in the Thames Estuary, affectionately known as Boris Island, although this plan was shot down in 2014.
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Johnson will have the opportunity to set out his reasons for opposing the plan for a third runway at Heathrow – in an unusual turn of events, Downing Street has given MPs the chance to publicly protest the decision reached today.
The foreign secretary is not the only politician to voice his dismay at today's announcement – Zac Goldsmith, who previously threatened to quit if Heathrow got the nod, said this afternoon that he intends to resign and force a by-election in his Richmond Park and North Kingston constituency.
Meanwhile, current London mayor Sadiq Khan has slammed the government's decision, saying it's the wrong choice for London. “A new runway at Heathrow will be devastating for air quality across London – air pollution around the airport is already above legal levels of NO2," Khan said.
"An expanded Gatwick would have boosted our economy without causing these huge air and noise pollution problems and it could be built quicker and cheaper.
“I will continue to challenge this decision and I am exploring how I can best be involved in any legal process over the coming months."