Boris Johnson was taunted with quotes from his hero Churchill today as he faced MPs after ducking the crunch Heathrow vote.
The Foreign Secretary was left blustering during his regular Commons questions session after a series of jibes about his failure to take a stand against the airport expansion.
Mr Johnson arrived back in the UK late last night after his whistle-stop 7,000 mile round trip to Afghanistan – which conveniently meant he did not have to attend the Heathrow showdown.
Voting against the government whip would have forced his resignation – something he said would have been pointless because the runway was still unlikely to happen.
His Labour counterpart Emily Thornberry sarcastically offered sympathy that his ’emergency duties’ had kept him away from parliament.
And she pointed out that Mr Johnson’s favourite quote from Churchill was ‘never give in, never give in, never give in’.
‘For some reason Churchill didn’t add ‘unless you can catch a plane to Kabul,’ she added to laughter in the chamber.
Boris Johnson was left blustering during his regular Commons questions session today (pictured) after a series of jibes about his failure to take a stand against the airport expansion
Mr Johnson’s Labour counterpart Emily Thornberry sarcastically offered sympathy that his ’emergency duties’ had kept him away from parliament
The Foreign Secretary was back on duty in the Commons today after his self-enforced exile to Afghanistan yesterday
But Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye insisted today that there would not be any significant delays to the proposed 2026 completion date.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme any judicial hearings would take place ‘in parallel’ with the planning process under new laws.
Mr Johnson was back in time for the weekly Cabinet meeting this morning – although he was seen outside the Foreign Office checking his watch seemingly concerned that he would be late.
During the debate last night, MPs yelled ‘where’s Boris’ at Tory MPs while Conservative Greg Hands, who quit as Trade Minister to vote No, made a pointed jibe about keeping election promises.
Labour has today tabled a series of written questions demanding details about when Mr Johnson planned his trip in a bid to embarrass him.
Mr Johnson landed back in Britain early this morning and is due to attend Cabinet at 9.30am.
Boris Johnson is back in London today (pictured) after missing the vote for a one day round trip to Afghanistan
Boris Johnson popped up meeting the deputy foreign minister Hekmat Karzai in Afghanistan on Monday after dodging the Commons vote on Heathrow
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has been widely ridiculed on Monday for avoiding the vote on Heathrow
Construction of the £14billion project is still years off and will be subject to detailed planning and likely court challenges
The Foreign Secretary’s decision to miss the vote was also widely mocked online.
MPs eventually voted 415 to 119 in favour of expanding Heathrow with a third runway in an historic step toward ending a decades-long battle over airports.
A long-term opponent of Heathrow expansion, he would have been forced to resign to stand by his beliefs in the vote had he been in the country.
Ahead of the debate, Mr Johnson hit back after he was openly ridiculed by senior Tories and battered on social media for swerving the vote – insisting it would not have helped to follow colleague Mr Hands in resigning from the government.
In a letter to local councillors, he said: ‘I have made clear my opposition since joining the government, and I will continue to lobby colleagues from within government.
‘Some of my critics have suggested that I should resign over the issue. No doubt they have my best interests at heart.
‘My resignation would have achieved absolutely nothing.
‘In view of the very considerable difficulties that still face the third runway — its cost and the appalling air and noise pollution entailed by the project — I believe it will be a very long time before we have to make good on that pledge; if indeed a 3rd runway ever comes about.’
Mr Hands renewed his criticism this morning, writing in The Times: ‘My resignation isn’t just about Heathrow, important though that is, it is also about trust in politics and politicians, which is a wider and more pressing imperative.’
Labour whip Mark Tami has asked a series of written questions about when Mr Johnson’s trip to Afghanistan was confirmed and how much it cost the taxpayer.
MPs yelled ‘where’s Boris’ as Greg Hands made his first speech in Parliament (pictured) since resigning to vote against Heathrow expansion
Heathrow Chief Executive John Holland-Kaye hailed the vote as a ‘great day for the whole country’ within moments of the vote, which effectively gives outline planning permission for the runway.
A court challenge will be lodged within days by Wandsworth, Richmond, Hillingdon and Hammersmith, and Fulham councils — in partnership with Greenpeace and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Boris Johnson – who deliberately missed the vote on a trip to Afghanistan – defended not resigning over the runway on the grounds he has questions over whether it ‘ever comes about’.
A legal letter sent to the prime minister said that the plan would be opposed on the grounds of cost, excessive noise, air pollution, carbon emissions and the destruction of communities.
Angus Walker, chairman of the National Infrastructure Planning Association, and a partner at the law firm Bircham Dyson Bell, told The Times that there was a ‘long way to go until a spade goes into the ground’.
Greenpeace said it had already stopped the runway in court once before, in 2010.
UK executive director John Sauven said: ‘This Heathrow flight has failed all safety checks, yet ministers have boarded it anyway and persuaded a majority of MPs to go along with them.
‘But we can’t just look the other way while the whole dashboard flashes red with warning lights.
‘The UK government won’t be able to tackle illegal levels of air pollution, never mind leaving a healthier environment to the next generation, if a new Heathrow runway is built.
‘If ministers don’t want to uphold the laws protecting us from toxic fumes and climate change, we’re going to ask a court to do that.’
In a signal of the determination of campaigners, Parliament’s Central Lobby was briefly sealed off by police ahead of last night’s vote as the Vote No Heathrow group chanted and laid on the floor to block MPs moving about.