London mayoral hopeful James Cleverly refuses to back Kemi Badenoch's full support for Heathrow third runway

Heathrow wants to build a third runway under a plan costing

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Former London Assembly member Sir James has previously stressed that he has "always been very sceptical" about the "quick fix arguments" put forward by supporters of a bigger Heathrow.

Sir James emphasised that his priority was ensuring "the needs of Londoners are put forward first, particularly those in west London”.

He has arranged meetings with both Heathrow and the local community.

Conservative Party MP Sir ames Cleverly raised concerns about the Heathrow expansion

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Mr Griffith used his conference speech to make clear that a future Conservative government would back the runway and take action to overcome obstacles.

"The next Conservative government will do whatever it takes to end the delays and boost capacity by backing the third runway,” he said.

“We are all in for growth and will legislate to sweep away the blockers.”

But London Assembly chairman Andrew Boff, another Tory mayoral hopeful, criticised Heathrow’s proposal, describing it as "the most unambitious scheme".

He said: "We want something that's going to solve the air travel problems of London for hundreds of years ahead, not just until the next crisis."

Conservative London Assembly member Andrew Boff criticsed the Heathrow proposal as ‘the most unambitious scheme’

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However, businessman Alex Challoner and former police commissioner Festus Akinbusoye, who have also thrown their names into the hat to be the Tory mayoral contender, backed the plans.

"I've been very clear about this. I am in support of London Heathrow Airport and I would welcome a third runway at Heathrow,” Mr Challoner said.

Mr Akinbusoye described Heathrow as “a very central part of the wider infrastructure network that we have in Britain”.

The Conservatives have criticised the Prime Minister’s caution as a lack of leadership and pledged to introduce legislation aimed at removing planning barriers.

The new runway would increase the west London airport’s capacity to 756,000 flights and 150 million passengers a year.