The Mayor of London said he will continue to fight plans for a third runway at Heathrow if parliament votes in favour of the airport expansion on Monday.

At Mayor’s Question Time earlier today, Conservative London Assembly member Tony Arbour questioned Mayor Sadiq Khan on what he would be doing to prevent the planned third runway at Heathrow airport.

The plans were officially opposed by the assembly at the beginning of the month following a vote from the Cabinet in favour of the £14 billion expansion.

Mr Khan said that airport expansion was needed in the capital but the government progressing with the third runway was the “wrong decision”.

He added: “I remain committed to opposing the decision because of the impact it will have on public health as well as noise and air pollution.”

On Monday Parliament will take a final vote on whether or not there should be a third runway at Heathrow airport.

The mayor said that if the expansion was approved by Parliament he intends to support legal action against it.

Conservative assembly member Keith Prince also asked: “Will you commit to lying down in front on the bulldozers at the airport as your predecessor Boris Johnson said he would do?”

But Mr Khan was quick to respond, saying: “For me it is more effective to vote in Parliament than to lie down in front of a bulldozer.”

Mr Khan also suggested that a better option to the Heathrow expansion would be a second runway at Gatwick airport, he said: “This would provide better airport expansion and have less of an environmental impact.”

But both Green party assembly members were quick to criticise his comments on Twitter.

Caroline Russell said: “The Mayor opposes Heathrow expansion but while protecting residents in Harmondsworth, Hillingdon and Richmond he is supporting Gatwick expansion and worsening lives of people in Crawley, East Grinstead and Reigate.”

Whilst Sian Berry called his decision “fudge and nimbyism”.

Earlier today MP Greg Hands resigned as the MP for Chelsea and Fulham in order to oppose Monday’s vote to add a third runway to Heathrow airport.

Commenting on Mr Khan’s announcement and Mr Hand’s resignation, Paul McGuinness, chairman of the 3rd runway coalition, said: “The Government would be unwise to underestimate the determination of London’s authorities to defeat a third runway in the courts. Just as MPs would be foolish to allow this interminable process to drag on until it’s kiboshed there”.