SY mayor and Doncaster Conservative mayoral hope in fiery Facebook clash over airport

Oliver Coppard and ex-Don Valley MP Nick Fletcher launched stinging attacks on each other following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Doncaster last week to pledge his Government’s support for the re-opening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, including £30 million of cash backing.

The pair, who have been at loggerheads previously on a number of issues relating to the re-opening of DSA, both lashed out at each other over whether the funding was “new” money.

Mr Fletcher, one of 12 candidates, running to become Doncaster’s new mayor said: “This isn't new money.

"They are masters of misinformation.

"This £30m has been taken from the rail link to the airport. So how does removing the airport rail connection help make the airport viable? It's crazy economics.”

In response, Mr Coppard fired back: “You couldn't get your government to give us any money. You couldn't get your government to give us a rail link.

“You couldn't get your government to set up a working group to help us.

"In fact you said 'the government can't get involved because it's all a devolved matter', which has now been shown to be the nonsense it always was.

“I can never work out if you simply don't know what you're talking about, or if you're deliberately misleading people. Either way, I'd probably stay quiet for a bit if I were you.”

A fuming Mr Fletcher launched back: “This latest party political salvo from the Labour Mayor of South Yorkshire is yet another reminder of how Labour have treated us here in Doncaster.

"This SY Mayor (together with our current Mayor) excluded me as the MP for the airport from all working groups and “confidential” information on the basis that he didn’t see it necessary. The airport subsequently closed a few months later.

“Last week he sent me out of the blue an email wrongly accusing me of “choosing to use the airport as a tool to campaign with”.

“Between the two of them, they let the airport close.

“He talks of Government cooperating with him. The last Government was working on the basis that the airport would be opened in Spring 2024. The £30m they had ringfenced for the airport to have a rail link would be needed. If it was just given to Oliver Coppard as this Government has done means he can use it for what he wants. I didn’t want it used for his beloved trams in Sheffield. They don’t benefit Doncaster at all.

“The “new” £30m from the Government isn’t new. It’s the rail link money I fought hard to get as your MP. We need honesty in politics. Why not just say that we need that £30m for the airport instead of a rail link? Instead they dress it up as being something else and make a big announcement in an aircraft hangar.”

In response, Mr Coppard replied: “The last Tory MP for Doncaster, the MP whose job it was to fight for the airport, told us that ‘the government couldn’t intervene because it was a devolved matter’.

“The actions of this government have shown that to be the nonsense that it always was; that’s why this government have stepped in to give me the flexibility to spend our money to make our plans for DSA and Gateway East a reality.

“The additional £30m we now have access to could save us an additional £26.5m in interest payments alone, all because this government stepped in and made a decision to support, listen to and help us.

“To be clear, I will continue to ask the government for their full support as we progress those plans, from working with Ed Miliband to secure investments in new nuclear on the Gateway East site, to working with John Healey to bring defence aviation contracts to South Yorkshire.

“We now have a government prepared to invest in our communities and I intend to take full advantage of those opportunities.”

• Full list of Doncaster 2025 mayoral candidates HERE