Heathrow protest: House of Commons on lockdown as activists storm expansion vote

The central lobby in Westminster has been locked down ahead of a parliamentary vote on the expansion of Heathrow airport.

Security staff blocked off the doors to the entrance to the House of Commons as 12 protestors lay down on the floor, chanting loudly, to show their opposition to the plans.

The "lie in" protest came moments before a crucial vote on the third runway at Heathrow, which has caused divisions across both Labour and the Conservative parties.

​MPs and senior ministers were turned away from the lobby - where they pass through to vote - while the situation was dealt with by parliamentary security.

Some protesters from the group, Vote No Heathrow, said they had been told by police they were breaking the law.

Activist Fliss Premru, from north London, said she believed false promises had been made about the jobs that would be created.

"They want to divide and conquer," she said.

"We can't tackle huge environmental issues in London and build a third runway."

The group posted on Twitter: "Campaigners have been protesting in the House of Commons for the last half hour.

"MPs must vote no to #heathrow. It is an act of wilful blindness in the face of #climatebreakdown."

The stunt appeared to reference Boris Johnson's infamous pledge to "lie down... in front of bulldozers" to stop the expansion plans when he was elected to represent Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London.

However the foreign secretary faced calls to resign from members of his own party, when it emerged he had flown to Afghanistan to dodge the crucial Heathrow vote.

Shouts of "Where's Boris?" could be heard in the Commons during the four-hour debate as several former Tory ministers spoke out against the plans.

Images of the foreign secretary meeting his counterpart in Kabul emerged on social media after hours of speculation about his whereabouts, as the government refused to disclose his location for security reasons.

Mr Johnson would have been forced to resign if he wanted to oppose the Heathrow plans, as the Conservatives had imposed a strict three-line whip on Monday's vote.

His actions came in contrast to former international trade minister Greg Hands, who stood down last week over the Heathrow vote.

The Chelsea and Fulham MP said he "hasn't resigned willingly", adding: "I always knew I would vote against this proposal. For me, in particular, I made an unequivocal pledge at the 2017 general election."

Tory former cabinet minister Justine Greening said the story of Heathrow was one of "broken promises, broken politics and broken economics".

She said: "People simply get ignored in this process, you actually have to be either a big business or, I think, a big union before your voice counts, and that is totally unacceptable."

The government secured a comfortable victory in the vote, as Labour had offered its MPs free rein and the SNP decided to abstain.