Sir Howard Davies, head of the government appointed Airports Commission, has criticised London Mayor Boris Johnson's unhelpful and colourful language in the airport expansion debate.
Mr Johnson doled out "vulgar abuse" in the row over a third runway at Heathrow airport, Sir Howard said, criticising the Mayor for his use of "colourful language" and accusing him of failing to "illuminate" the debate on airport expansion following the publication of interim findings last month.
Mr Johnson is fiercely opposed to the possibility of increasing capacity at Heathrow and branded the Airports Commission report, which short-listed the option, as "gloopy and tangled", "perplexing" and "biased".
But Sir Howard dismissed the Mayor's criticism of the report, insisting they were at odds with transport experts, and vowed to "press on with the job".
Asked about the comments at the Transport Select Committee, the commission chairman replied: "He would say that wouldn't he?
"I completely dismiss what the Mayor has said about our report. It's completely at variance with what everyone else has said - transport correspondents, the airports themselves, other economists.
"Unfortunately, as far as the Mayor is concerned we don't seem to have produced the answer he wants us to produce. We will proceed with our analysis in the way we have been asked to do.
"The Mayor has a particular view about hub capacity and a particular view about Heathrow and that's where he starts and that's where he ends.
"Anything that is at variance with that is dismissed. Personally I don't think it is at all helpful that he uses this rather colourful language but I guess that is a matter of style.
"But I don't think it particularly illuminates the debate to do so.
"But we will not react, we will simply press on because I think there are some important issues to resolve about the future of demand for aviation in this country, about the environmental consequences, about the cost consequences of different solutions. Among those is an estuary option on which we are doing further work.
"So, I will attempt to rise above this vulgar abuse and press on with the job."
Sir Howard said he thought they had had a good relationship before the publication of the interim report but added: "You are only as good as your last game".
