Boris Johnson intensified his row with the Government over a third runway at Heathrow today as it emerged for the first time that £30 billion of taxpayers’ money would need to be spent on his Estuary airport.
In a major speech to business leaders, the Mayor accused the Government of “dither and delay” over formulating its aviation policy.
In his strongest attack yet, he warned that future generations would believe the Coalition had “frittered away their futures” by delaying a decision until after the 2015 election.
His speech — in which he suggested the Government was “blind and complacent” — comes days after the Mayor was invited to Chequers by the Prime Minister for a “peace summit”.
Mr Johnson’s team denied that today’s remarks were intended to steal Mr Cameron’s thunder at the Conservative party conference, which starts on Sunday. However, he will risk raising No 10’s hackles by setting out the contents of his draft submission to the Government’s aviation review now.
Mr Johnson told business leaders the Government’s “glacial” progress was “far too slow”, adding: “I am hugely concerned that their intended timetable sets a course for economic catastrophe. This is pressing and every moment we dither and delay, our rivals build their connectivity at our expense. The urgency of the problem has forced me to accelerate the work that I will do to develop a credible solution.”
The Mayor admitted that it was “inevitable” that the bill for road and rail links from his proposed Thames Estuary airport would be picked up by the taxpayer — at a cost of £30 billion over 15 years. He believes a new airport, estimated to cost at least another £50 billion, could be financed entirely by the private sector.
Former Tory transport minister Steve Norris, who backs expansion of Stansted, said: “It’s the first time I’ve heard the Mayor suggest that we might be looking at £30 billion ... That, to be clear, is money we’d be expected to provide as taxpayers.”
