The Labour Party has no plan to defund and close Teesside International Airport in Darlington, England

By: Rajini KG
May 5 2023

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Context

Local elections in England were held on May 4, 2023, with more than 8,000 council seats across 230 authorities being contested. In this context, a Facebook post on the Darlington Conservatives Facebook page reads: "Save Teesside International Airport! Vote Labour, who don't believe in the importance of a thriving local airport, and will actively look to defund it." The post included an image of the airport which contained text reading "Steve Harker, Labour group leader on Darlington Council told us he intends to "change the dynamic" of the Combined Authority if his party was successful in the local elections, singling out the continued funding for Teesside Airport as an example of the need for change." Ben Houchen, the Tees Valley Mayor, and other Conservative members also shared the same narrative on social media.

However, Darlington council leader Stephen Harker's statement was misrepresented.

In Fact

According to Teesside Live, Teesside Airport has been undergoing privatization since 2003. Teesside Live reports that in 2019, Mayor Ben Houchen reduced public ownership funding worth £40m, with the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) now holding a 75 percent stake, and a private aviation and energy infrastructure company, Sobart taking a 25 percent stake. Sobart handed over its stake to the Teesside Airport Foundation in 2021. £20m of taxpayers' money was invested in Teesside airport to recover losses of almost £12m in 2022. Currently, 75 percent of Teesside Airport is owned by the Tees Valley Combined Authority, with the remaining stake held by the Teesside Airport Foundation.

Logically Facts found that the i News report cited in the Facebook post, published on April 29, 2023, states that "Steve Harker, Labour group leader on Darlington Council, told i he intends to "change the dynamic" of the Combined Authority if his party is successful in the local elections, singling out the continued funding for Teesside Airport as an example of the need for change." He was also quoted as saying: "I suspect Ben is not interested in the other five leaders. It's been very difficult for the public and for councils to scrutinise his decisions. And that would absolutely stop [if Labour wins on May 4], because it's wrong, it's public money being spent and the public have a right to know (sic)." Following this, the Labour Party and Stephen Harker received backlash from Conservative supporters.

On April 30, the Northern Echo, a Darlington-based newspaper, reported that Harker denied claims about defunding the Teesside international airport. The report states that despite contrary claims, Harker has no intention of cutting off funding for Teesside Airport. Further, he said, "We supported the bid to buy the airport, and it needs to be given the opportunity to succeed. What was missing from the piece in the ‘i’ was context. The public has a right to know how that is going and whether the plan is working when the airport has been given £80m of public money." Yahoo News published a similar article.

The Darlington Labour Party clarified on its Facebook page that the “Tories are trying to change the topic from the cost of Living crisis and NHS to the Teesside airport”. It also added that the Labour Party supported the airport proposal by voting in favor of it, and if elected, it would stick to the plan.

Logically Facts reached out to Darlington Labour Party and its leader Stephen Harker for further clarification, but has yet to receive a response.

The Verdict

The Labour Party has clarified that it is not planning to defund the Teesside Airport, but it clarified that the changes will make the continued funding details transparent. Therefore, we have marked this claim as misleading.