Tories back a third Heathrow runway as two of their mayoral hopefuls hold back

The Conservatives would support a third runway at Heathrow, shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith told the party’s conference in Birmingham, even though two of the party’s hopefuls for London mayor have raised doubts about it.

Mr Griffith said a future Conservative government would bring in legislation to clear planning obstacles and put an end to the long-running row over the runway. He said the party would “do whatever it takes to end the delays and boost capacity”.

Where the Tory mayoral hopefuls stand on Heathrow

Sir James Cleverly MP, who wants to be the party’s candidate for mayor, has previously said he has always been very sceptical of the quick fix case made by the runway’s backers. He said his priority was putting Londoners’ needs first, particularly in west London, and he has set up meetings with Heathrow and with the community.

Andrew Boff, another hopeful, called the plan “the most unambitious scheme” and said London needed something that would solve its air travel problems for hundreds of years, not only until the next crisis.

Two other contenders take the opposite view. Alex Challoner said he supports the airport and would welcome a third runway. Festus Akinbusoye said the airport sits at the core of the country’s infrastructure.

What the Prime Minister has said about expansion

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has not said whether he supports expansion. He has called it a contested subject and a matter for London, and said the government should listen to what people said in the consultation before deciding how to proceed.

Mr Burnham has previously voiced doubts about the project, arguing it would pull development money away from the North. The Conservatives have described his caution as a lack of leadership.