Rebel MPs vow to help sue their own government if Heathrow is approved
Goldsmith and Theresa Villiers all met the Prime Minister but are understood to still stand by their opposition to a third runway.
Mrs May will trigger a Tory civil war when she announces a decision on airport expansion in the South East on Tuesday, ending decades of delay.
She is expected to back Heathrow’s third runway, which the party ruled out in their 2010 manifesto – though No 10 insists no final decision has been taken. Other options include expanding the second runway at Heathrow or picking Gatwick. Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary, said last night that the move would end a “collective loss of nerve” on expansion displayed by “successive governments”.
He told new airport capacity would help the country “grasp the opportunities that Brexit provides” and secure trade deals with emerging markets.
The Airports Commission, led by Sir Howard Davies, backed Heathrow’s third runway last year and it is the choice of business and most MPs.
However, Mr Goldsmith, who ran as the Tory candidate for London mayor just months ago, is expected to quit the party and Parliament within hours of a third runway getting approval.
He will run for his Richmond Park seat as an independent, forcing the Tories to choose whether to put up their own candidate in a by-election that could become a vote on Heathrow.
Mr Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, is also expected to make his disapproval of a third runway clear on the day of the announcement. Allies said he would not be “silenced” by ministerial rules for commenting on the issue.
Meanwhile, Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, is demanding a “cast-iron guarantee” on airport expansion timings and new assurances over pollution in a piece on website.