Boris Johnson has hit back at claims that he lied about a private conversation with the head of Britain’s airport commission over the need for new runways in the South East.
The Mayor of London’s office last night released a copy of Mr Johnson’s handwritten notes which it said proved that Sir Howard Davies had told him a second commission would be needed in 2020.
Sir Howard prompted a furious row between the pair after he rejected the Mayor’s ambitious scheme for a new hub airport in the Thames estuary on Tuesday.
The commission will now consider two options for expanding Heathrow and the possibility of a second runway at Gatwick before reporting back to the Government next summer.
Sir Howard informed the Mayor of his decision during a 25-minute phone call at around 4pm on Monday afternoon.
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Mr Johnson told reporters that Sir Howard had privately admitted to him during that conversation that another airport commission would be needed in 2020, making a third – and possibly a fourth – runway at Heathrow inevitable.
He also suggested that Sir Howard had been swayed by the civil service and government.
In an interview with this newspaper, the aviation chief branded the allegation a “complete lie” and complained that Mr Johnson “said all kinds of things about what I said to him [on the phone], most of them are actually untrue”.
He said it was “disappointing” that Mr Johnson had produced “conspiracy theories” rather than “looking carefully at the analysis”.
Yesterday, the Mayor’s office took the unusual step of releasing the first page of Mr Johnson’s notes from his private phone conversation with Sir Howard to The Times.
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In the first of four pages of notes, the Mayor has written the words “*2020* – a new review” alongside references to some of the risks associated with his estuary airport scheme including “surface access” for passenger and birds.
Mr Johnson said he “was a bit baffled by Howard’s comments as I kept a note of what we talked about”.
“What is clear from that note and my recollection of the conversation is that Howard talked about a second runway at Gatwick or a third runway at Heathrow now and then a further runway, and a further review as early as 2020,” he said.
“He was talking about the need for two more runways in the South East.”
On Tuesday, the commission said it had rejected the Thames estuary idea because of concerns about the cost, which could exceed £120 billion.
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It also cited the difficulties of getting passengers to the airport from central London and the legal and logistical challenge of moving vast numbers of migratory birds.