Boris: Cameron's Heathrow policy is 'toxic and disastrous'

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The coalition's decision to kick airport expansion into the long grass until the next election is "toxic and disastrous", Boris Johnson said today.

In an aggressive performance, Johnson also undermined the review by Howard Davies on the very day it was announced and suggested he was in the pocket of industry lobbyists.

"It's a great shame Howard Davies isn't able to come up with the logical solution," he told the Today programme.

"It's going to be toxic and disastrous to go into 2015 with Heathrow still on the agenda and millions of Londoners still going through noise pollution.

"This is the wrong way forward. What Howard, with great respect, should do is accelerate his timetable."

The comments will be viewed as another unwelcome intervention by No 10, amid continued rumours about the London mayor's leadership ambitions.

Most observers believe the Conservatives are making a slow U-turn over Heathrow and are prepared to back a third runway at the airport after the next general election.

The Davies review is intended to explore all the options for expanding airport capacity, including Johnson's plan for a Thames Estuary airport.

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