Prime Minister renews commitment to save DSA as MPs increase pressure

In an interview on ITV Calendar News yesterday, the Prime Minister said: “I’m very disappointed to hear what’s been announced about the airport and what I want to do is make sure we engage with all parties to see how we can find a way forward. Regional airports are incredibly important.”

“The first thing we’ll be doing is talking to all the parties to see what can be done and the transport secretary will be saying more after that.”

Political correspondent Harry Horton called out the Prime Minister regarding claims that nothing yet had been done.

He said: “The Council at Doncaster and South Yorkshire Mayor say that since the closure was announced they’ve had no contact with any ministers at all.”

This is the third time that Truss has made a commitment to trying to save the airport.

In an interview on BBC Look North last week, she said: “I will do what I can and talk to the relevant people.”

Multiple MPs have now called on Truss and Secretary of State for Transport Anne-Marie Trevelyan to take action.

Doncaster MPs Dame Rosie Winterton and Ed Miliband were among members who wrote a letter to the transport secretary last week. They called for the government to use powers under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to stop the airport’s closure, due to the vital operations that take place there.

The airport is the home of operations such as the National Police Air Service and Ministry of Defence.

Dame Rosie Winterton MP said: “Doncaster Sheffield Airport is not just a crucial part of our local economy, it is also a vital national hub for emergency and security services.

“The Secretary of State has the power, under the Civil Contingencies Act, to keep the airport open so that another operator can be found to secure its continuation as a national asset and the operation of commercial flights”.

Ed Miliband MP, said: “The airport is a vital resource for our city, region and country. The operations that take place there must be safeguarded and the airport saved so it can continue as a fully functioning commercial airport.

“The Prime Minister said yesterday she would take action. Now she must honour her word and use the powers available to her government.

Shadow Defence Secretary and Wentworth and Dearne MP John Healey also called on the Defence Secretary a letter earlier today, to keep the airport open for the same reasons.

The letter read: “This is a decision with a huge impact on the whole of the South Yorkshire region and at least 2,700 jobs at stake. Importantly, it is also a decision with consequences for our national defence, security and emergency services. Government has a direct stake in the airport’s future.

Last week, a letter was also sent to airport owners Peel Group asking them to reverse their decision, which was signed by 17 MPs in total.