KEN Livingstone said he would have a better chance of stopping HS2 than Boris Johnson, on a visit to Hillingdon today (Wednesday).
The former London mayor and long-time Labour rival to the blonde-haired Tory incumbant was unequivocal on what he would do to stop 225mph trains hurtling through the borough: take the government to court.
Mr Livingstone told the Gazette that he was opposed to HS2's current proposed route through Ruislip, Ickenham and Harefield and that he would rather see it tunneled to Waterloo via Euston and Tottenham Court Road, linking in with Crossrail.
He said: "I would upgrade the existing line to the north and upgrade it, instead of taking HS2 on this huge loop through west London."
Last time current mayor Mr Johnson visited the borough, in Jaunary, he was coy about his support for a judicial review against the government over HS2.
But Mr Livingstone was far less evasive on the subject: "I have a much better chance of stopping it because I would take them to court and Boris wouldn't.
"For all his rumblings about it he would not take the government to court."
Mr Livingstone was visiting Uxbridge as part of a tour of outer London boroughs in the run up to the election in May, and also had something to say about council leader Ray Puddifoot's recent comments about him 'ignoring Hillingdon' during his last term in office.
"The only reason I didn't visit the council was because the leader refused to meet me," he said.
"I actually visited Hillingdon quite a lot, I just never saw him [Mr Puddifoot]."
