ED MIliband was lobbying the government to reopen an airport in his constituency – while campaigning against Heathrow’s expansion.
Rachel Reeves announced backing for both airports in her growth speech this week.
The Chancellor is facing questions over whether she backed Ed’s local airport to stop him quitting over Heathrow.
A senior Labour frontbencher said: “Ed is kicking off about Heathrow – but he wants his own airport.
“It’s interesting Rachel gave him Doncaster. He is not complaining about emissions there. Did that convince him to stay?”
Mr Miliband has slammed plans to build a third runway at Britain’s biggest airport – warning it will harm Net Zero goals.
He spoke out against Heathrow Airport’s expansion in Cabinet earlier this week, as did Foreign Office minister Anneliese Dodds.
But the Energy Secretary has been busy lobbying fellow ministers to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport – which is in his patch as an MP.
It has been closed since 2022.
Writing on his constituency website in December, Mr Miliband said: “Our airport has incredible potential, bringing jobs and opportunity to Doncaster and the wider South Yorkshire economy.
“We will continue to do all we can to ensure we see passenger flights commence in 2026.”
A Treasury source said suggestions Ms Reeves backed Doncaster airport to stop Mr Miliband quitting over Heathrow weere “total rubbish”.
Meanwhile, the Government’s Net Zero Czar Emma Pinchbeck deleted her entire X/Twitter account after she used it to attack Heathrow’s expansion.
Emma Pinchbeck, CEO of independent body the Climate Change Committee, wrote in 2015: “Far from growing our economy, it increases the burden on domestic industry to reduce carbon.”
She also praised climate protesters who avoided jail in 2016.