Why Doncaster Sheffield Airport must not become a political football
When it comes to the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), politicians of all stripes should refrain from playing games. Turning the DSA into a political football would be negligent in the face of the economic prize on offer.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer pointed the finger of blame at Reform UK, saying their councillors should “honour their promises, stop playing games and get their airport open”.
However, it isn’t as simple as getting the airport open. The amount of public money at stake means that the approach has to be carefully considered.
Indeed Reform’s group leader on Doncaster Council, Coun Craig Ward has said his party “supports the reopening of DSA”.
Coun Ward says £57m of borrowing needed to get the project up and running was approved in November “without full material facts”.
A leak of the airport lease to The Yorkshire Post in January revealed a series of controversial clauses councillors and the public had previously been unaware of.
That is why transparency is of the utmost importance. Not only to enable councillors to make a decision based on all the facts but also for the public to maintain confidence in the reopening.
Politicians also need to be clear as to where they stand. Over the past week Reform has signalled a major shift in its position on DSA. Yesterday, Reform deputy leader Richard Tice said that a Reform government would attempt to take the lease from Peel using compulsory purchase order (CPO) powers. While last week Reform leader Nigel Farage was advocating a “private sector solution”.
The first jet, a Boeing 727 oil spill response aircraft, took off from DSA this week since Peel closed the airport back in 2022. But there is a long way when it comes to reopening DSA.