(Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson, the front-runner in the race to replace Prime Minister Theresa May, said he still has “grave reservations” about the expansion of London's Heathrow airport, but didn't say what he would do about it if he came to power.
Johnson, a former mayor of London who represents a west London constituency, had pledged to lie down in front of the bulldozers to prevent a third runway being built at Heathrow. But he continued to serve in May's government when it approved the expansion, despite protests from residents concerned about pollution and disruption. He missed the key vote in Parliament last year, traveling on official business.
Read more: Heathrow Plans Staged Opening of Third Runway to Cut Costs
“I still have grave reservations,” Johnson said in a BBC debate for the Conservative leadership contest. He dodged a follow-up question about what his position would be on the airport's expansion if he became prime minister.
Johnson signaled last week that he would drop his long-standing opposition to the 16 billion-pound ($20 billion) expansion, the Times newspaper reported. Asked about it at a private hustings for Tory lawmakers, he said the plan had now been approved by Parliament, the paper said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Emma Ross-Thomas in London at erossthomas@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs
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