Boris Johnson’s plan for a bridge to France is the latest in a long line of wacky ideas from the Tory eccentric
The Foreign Secretary has a long history of coming up with visionary but impractical notions
BORIS JOHNSON made waves last night by suggesting a new bridge across the English Channel - sparking a frenzied reaction.
Some praised the idea as a great way to bring Britain and France closer together, while others warned the idea could prove impractical.
But this is hardly the first outlandish suggestion made by the Foreign Secretary over the past few years.
From a new airport in the Thames to a the return of 1950s buses, here's a run-down of Boris' wackiest ideas - the ones which worked and some which flopped.
Boris Island in the middle of the Thames
Boris was the main advocate of closing down Heathrow and replacing it with a six-runway airport on a new island in the Thames Estuary.
The proposed new facility, dubbed London Britannia Airport, had a price tag of nearly £50billion.
Mr Johnson - then Mayor of London - insisted it was the only viable answer to the problem of overstretched airports in South-East England.
But an independent commission rejected the idea, recommending an extra runway at Heathrow instead.
A garden stretching across the middle of London
Boris backed an ambitious plan invented by Joanna Lumley to build a new Garden Bridge across the Thames, connecting the Temple area of London with the South Bank.
The bridge would have been covered in trees and other greenery, making it a picturesque place to relax as well as a practical crossing point.
It was controversial because it was partly funded with private cash and would have been rented out for corporate events.
The proposal - inspired by New York's popular High Line park - was killed off last year by new Mayor Sadiq Khan, who said it would cost too much money.
Comeback of a design classic
One of the policy pledges which got Boris elected Mayor of London in 2008 was to bring back the Routemaster bus.
The iconic vehicle, dating back to the 50s, was scrapped by Ken Livingstone and replaced with unpopular "bendy buses".
But Mr Johnson introduced a new Routemaster design which is now ubiquitous on the streets of London.
The scheme has not gone off without a hitch - the new buses are said by some people to be unbearably hot in summer, because their windows don't open.
Voyage through the sky
Mr Johnson announced in 2010 that a £60million cable car would be built over the Thames in East London.
The "Emirates Air Line" would take visitors from the Excel Centre to the O2, reaching a height of 300ft at its peak.
Despite fierce criticism, the cable car opened in time for the 2012 Olympics and has been in operation ever since.
A second Chunnel
Yesterday's comments were not the first time Boris has suggested another crossing between Britain and France.
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Shortly after the EU referendum, he said it would be a good idea to build a second Channel Tunnel - carrying cars instead of trains, like the first one.
Mr Johnson thought the new tunnel would be a vivid sign that Britain is not trying to weaken ties with Europe despite Brexit.
But he was reportedly talked out of it by sceptical aides.
