Boris Johnson - More big building projects needed

[Donny Dave]

Boris Johnson has urged Prime Minister David Cameron to stop "pussyfooting around" and invest in major infrastructure projects in London.

The Mayor of London told the Evening Standard that money should be spent on projects such as Crossrail 2 and extra river crossings.

He said he still supported plans for an airport on an artificial island - dubbed "Boris Island" - in the Thames.

A Number 10 spokesman said Mr Cameron had declined to comment.

Mr Johnson said: "This is the time to be ambitious about London and what it can do for Britain.

"One of the ways of doing that would be to commit to further infrastructure — Crossrail 2, more river crossings, a massive house building programme for the city.

"The government needs to stop pussyfooting around."

The mayor said Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne was "actually very much up for big ideas like this".

But he said Mr Cameron was not convinced, blaming the "institutional inertia of the government".

Mr Johnson dismissed the suggestion he could run for a seat in Parliament while serving as mayor.

But he refused to rule out standing as an MP after his term in City Hall came to an end.

Recent weeks have shown a boost in popularity for the mayor during the Olympics, prompting suggestions he may have ambitions of becoming prime minister.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19270322

Erm, correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't there been an awful lot of work in the past few years in London? Olympic Stadium, HS1, half of Stratford basically rebuilt from the ground up, Crossrail, plus numerous other projects, and he wants more?

just a quick reminder for Boris .... There is an entire country outside the M25 boundry that's crying out for major investment like this. Not everything has to happen inside London ....

 

[SS4]

I agree with you although to be fair it is Boris' job to get more out of the national kitty for London regardless of the effects outside the M25.

There is no doubt investment is needed but not in London. Isn't Crossrail reported to cost much the same as the projection for HS2 and for that matter isn't Thameslink 2000 still unfinished?

 

[starrymarkb]

As Mayor of London he wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't argue for more investment for the city (as should the head of every other local authority)

 

[Clip]

As Mayor of London he wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't argue for more investment for the city (as should the head of every other local authority)

Indeed. I mean its nto as if Ken didnt shout from the roof tops to get London what it wanted... Or is that not fitting in with the need to have a dig at Boris?

 

[tbtc]

I'm not a fan of Boris (and his attempts to play dumb), but he's right here - this is the time to invest in infrastructure. I'm only envious as I can't recall seeing many cranes in Sheffield's skyline in recent years, but London is moving in the right direction by doing things like Crossrail right now.