Boris Johnson has faced sharp criticism from fellow Conservative MPs over his decision to miss Monday night’s crunch vote on Heathrow expansion by flying out of the country on an official visit to Afghanistan.

The foreign secretary claimed that resigning over his opposition to the £14bn project, which the Commons backed on Monday night by 415 votes to 119 – a majority of 296, would achieve “absolutely nothing” and that he would lobby against it privately instead.

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However, he faced disdain from colleagues for choosing to travel to Kabul on the day of the vote so he could avoid choosing between his cabinet job and his longstanding opposition to the project, which now faces a legal challenge.

Senior Conservative MPs even suggested that Johnson may have finally ended his hopes of eventually taking over from Theresa May as Tory leader by failing to live up to election promises.

Johnson, after being elected for his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat, told supporters: “I will lie down with you in front of those bulldozers and stop the building, stop the construction of that third runway.”

After days of speculation about the location of the trip, which was kept secret because of security concerns, the official Twitter account of the Afghan foreign affairs ministry posted pictures of Johnson meeting their deputy foreign minister. The Foreign Office later confirmed he also met the country’s president.

Johnson did not mention Heathrow in his statement. “At this important moment when Afghan-led efforts towards peace and a political settlement have gained considerable impetus, I was proud and inspired to be in Kabul to see how the UK is working in support of the Afghan government to achieve this goal,” he said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Boris Johnson and Hekmat Khalil Karzai, Afghanistan’s deputy foreign minister, during their meeting in Kabul. Photograph: Ministry of foreign affairs/PA

However, there were suggestions that the foreign secretary had been discussing substantially increasing the number of British troops in Afghanistan to boost the 600 or so already there helping train local forces.

The national security council is expected to discuss the proposal to increase the UK’s commitment to 1,000 as early as Tuesday afternoon, with an announcement following within days.

Johnson said: “I was hugely impressed by the work done by British troops as part of this Nato mission and I believe there is still a lot the UK could contribute to this vital operation”.

His absence from the Commons came in stark contrast to the Tory MP Greg Hands, who resigned last week as a trade minister so he could vote against expansion. As the Chelsea and Fulham MP took to his feet in the Commons, there were shouts of “Where’s Boris?”

He pointedly told MPs: “This is not just for me a debate about Heathrow, important though that is; it’s also a debate about being true to your word and to your election pledges. This vote is also about integrity and the promises we make to our voters.”

Earlier, the former transport secretary Justine Greening, a vocal opponent of expansion, tweeted to Hands that she “wouldn’t want any long term MP campaigners against Heathrow expansion to miss their chance to represent their community”.

Justine Greening (@JustineGreening) Great you’re back Greg! I wouldn’t want any long term MP campaigners against #Heathrow expansion to miss their chance to represent their community. #commitment #bulldozer https://t.co/FP5h4lqrAg

A total of eight Conservative MPs rebelled against the government: Greening, Hands, Adam Afriyie, Sir David Amess, Bob Blackman, Zac Goldsmith, Matthew Offord and Theresa Villiers. Others abstained or stayed away.

The Tory MP Robert Halfon agreed that Johnson should resign from government over the issue. “Yes, I think that would be a good thing,” he said. “I think he’d be quite respected by the constituents but individual MPs will make that judgment”.



Others went further, with several senior Tories suggesting that through his actions Johnson may have lost the support of backbenchers, who pick the final two in any leadership contest, and with it his chances of ever succeeding May.

One cabinet minister said: “This is the end of his leadership chances. The backbenches have trust issues with Boris anyway. This will simply reinforce them.”

In a letter to local councillors, obtained by the Evening Standard, Johnson defended his decision. He said: “I have long been an opponent of a third runway at Heathrow and that is why I am not voting for it tonight.

“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.

“But it is clear from what is likely to be a large majority of MPs who are in favour of a third runway that my resignation would have achieved absolutely nothing. Hillingdon council have been emphatic that they would rather have me in the cabinet and fighting for their cause on this and other issues.”

Opening the debate, the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, acknowledged that the issue was “divisive for many” but said the UK had “delayed for much too long” on expanding the airport and must “get on with” the job.

Earlier, he told the BBC that the government, which had a three-line whip in place for its MPs, that he had “genuinely no idea” where the foreign secretary was going but that he was “cautiously optimistic” about winning the vote.

Play Video 0:40 MPs vote in favour of third runway for Heathrow – video

However, Grayling will face a fresh headache later this week when a group of five councils, including Windsor and Maidenhead in the prime minister’s own backyard, is expected to launch a legal action against the decision.

The Tory leader of her local council, Simon Dudley, said after the vote: “We are of course incredibly disappointed with this result and had hoped MPs would see sense and listen to the concerns of the people whose daily lives will be affected by today’s decision.”

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said that despite the vote being the “wrong decision” for Londoners, it did not represent the end of the fight. “I’m joining the legal action brought by local authorities in opposition to Heathrow expansion.”

Labour also faced its own splits. The party was officially opposed to the third runway because it does not meet four tests on issues such as air pollution and jobs, but MPs were given a free vote, with more than 115 voting for expansion.

Len McCluskey, the general secretary of the Unite union, which represents more than 34,000 workers at the airport, had written to all Labour MPs urging them to vote for a third runway, putting Labour’s most powerful union backer at odds with Jeremy Corbyn.

Andy McDonald, the shadow transport secretary, criticised Grayling for making a “complete shambles” of a vital national project. “He has consistently demonstrated poor judgment and reliance on incomplete, unreliable and non-existent evidence,” he said.

The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, whose Hayes and Harlington constituency includes Heathrow, said the environmental impact of expansion posed “a threat to the planet” and that an “iconic, totemic” battle would be unleashed over climate change if the legal action was unsuccessful.

In a powerful intervention, he told MPs: “There are human costs to this decision that this House needs to recognise and contemplate before they vote tonight to worry and blight my community once again on a project that will never take off.”

The SNP, which is supportive in principle of the project, abstained, claiming there were “too many questions unanswered” by the government over benefits the project would bring to Scotland.



The party was thought to be keen to avoid the symbolism of voting with the Conservatives after a recent fall-out over the Brexit bill, although a number of its 35 MPs were said to be upset that they would not be able to back expansion. The Liberal Democrats and Greens voted against.

Four London councils – Wandsworth, Richmond, Hillingdon and Hammersmith & Fulham – plus Greenpace and Khan said they were preparing to take the government to court to block the expansion.

The Greenpeace 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. 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.”