Comments by shadow London minister cast doubt on opposition commitment to scheme

The Conservative party has been forced to defend its Crossrail position after a manifesto wobble from a shadow minister.

During an interview on LBC radio yesterday, the Tory shadow minister for London, Justine Greening, said she could not "guarantee that Crossrail will continue". The admission was pounced on by Labour, who claimed it showed the Tories would cut the scheme if they won power.

However, the Conservatives today maintained that they still support the project and that the comments do not represent a change in policy.

A Conservative spokesman said: “Crossrail is an important piece of infrastructure for London, the Conservative Manifesto is very clear: ‘We support Crossrail’. Our position has not changed – and indeed if Labour are honest with people, ours is exactly the same as theirs."