Boris Johnson says Heathrow runway will not be built

A combination of environmental and legal objections and the likely defeat of Labour in the next election will mean that the building of a third runway at Heathrow will “never happen,” Boris Johnson asserted on Thursday evening.

London’s mayor delivered his comments at a public debate that was organised by City Hall. Featured at the venue was a platform on which an empty chair was place, with Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s name on it.

Last week Johnson challenged the prime minister to defend his government’s decision to allow for the expansion at Heathrow.

Johnson has pledged £15,000 to a fund established to mount a legal challenge against the decision. He said at the debate held in west London that the third runway would not be built “because we are working flat out to oppose it.”

When the mayor was asked by a member of the audience about making such a promise, he added: “I have absolutely no doubt that the legal, planning, environmental objections will prove that it will be extremely difficult for it to happen in the next 10, 12, 15 years, but even if there were no legal challenge and even if the Labour government were going ahead with this plan, I am afraid that they would find another obstacle at some stage over the next 18 months.”

He added: “They face one obstacle over which Gordon Brown will not be able to jump and that is the electorate and … that is why I believe it will not happen.”

Thanks to www.guardian.co.uk for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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