Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Sir Keir Starmer accuses Reform UK of 'playing games' with reopening plans

Sir Keir Starmer was speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions today with the reopening plans in doubt.

Reform councillors in Doncaster have called an emergency meeting next month, putting forward a motion to rescind the council’s £57m to get the project up and running.

The party’s group leader Coun Craig Ward has said his party “supports the reopening of DSA”, however he has claimed the borrowing was approved in November “without full material facts” about the lease, signed with Peel.

A subsequent 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.

Labour politicians, including the area’s directly-elected mayor Ros Jones, have warned that cancelling the loan would “kill” the project.

The first jet took off from DSA this week since Peel closed the airport back in 2022.

At PMQs, Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme MP Lee Pitcher raised the reopening plans, saying: “It means jobs, investment, growth and opportunities, not just for Doncaster East and Isle of Axholme but the whole region.

“The Reform councillors in Doncaster are considering reversing their decision to support the investment, which would currently facilitate that airport reopening.”

Mr Pitcher asked Sir Keir “will he continue to work with us to find a way forward to make sure that we get our airport back open?”

The Prime Minister visited DSA last year ahead of the Doncaster Council elections and has family connections to the city.

He said: “I know from visiting Doncaster just how vital reopening the airport is for residents. It would be a huge boost for South Yorkshire and unlock thousands of jobs.

“I’m deeply concerned by reports that decisions by Reform in Doncaster could put the reopening in jeopardy.

“Labour put the plan in place, Reform should honour their promises, stop playing games and get their airport open.”

As Sir Keir was making his comments, Reform deputy leader Richard Tice shouted that he was “misleading the House”.

Mr Tice has told this paper that a Reform government would attempt to take the lease from Peel using compulsory purchase order (CPO) powers.

Last week, Nigel Farage told reporters he wanted a “private sector solution” for DSA.

Mr Tice said: “We are not blocking this deal - this deal has already been paused by Labour.”

The Reform deputy leader was referring to negotiations going on between South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard’s office and land owners Peel Group.

Mr Coppard has said that the £160m of devolution funding for the airport will not be unlocked until the lease is renegotiated.

Concerns about break clauses “in favour of the landowner” on achieving passenger number targets above the most optimistic forecasts and “clarifying points in relation to turnover rent” are among the key areas being discussed.

Mr Coppard recently said: “The work continues to be done. These are complex and difficult negotiations and the last thing we need is for Reform councillors to call into question the commitment of the project of the council.”

A Reform spokesperson commented: “Labour’s plan has already ground to a halt because it’s been so poorly negotiated and puts the taxpayer at significant risk. Now they’re panicking and blaming others to deflect from their shoddy deal.

“Reform UK is 100 per cent committed to reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

“Deputy Leader Richard Tice has already said that if Labour fail to deliver then a Reform UK government would step in and acquire the airport to make it happen. But we will not support a bad deal that puts the taxpayer on the hook for Labour’s failures.”