Fiona Bruce clashed with her Labour guest on Thursday following a question from the audience over the government’s net zero plans.

An audience member posed the question: “Growth or Green, are they mutually exclusive?”

The Labour MP quickly responded, “We can have both,” before host Fiona Bruce hit back with doubts over Rachel Reeves’ recently announced plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

She said: “When it comes to the third runway, I’ve listened to the various ways in which Rachel Reeves thinks it could be in line with the government’s climate commitments, such as aviation fuel, but that is a minuscule fraction of all jet fuel and flights leaving the UK - the targets 2%. Then she talked about electric planes with batteries, but that’s way off.”

The Exchequers Secretary then states the party is “determined to support airport expansion that contributes to economic growth where it is in line with our climate obligations.”

The BBC host impatiently responded: “But how do you do it?”

He said: “It’s by looking at the whole economy, it’s all of the emissions all across the economy. It’s net zero.”

Ms Bruce then questions the reduction of emissions from the new airport expansion plans: “So even if Heathrow and a third runway increase our carbon emissions, you are suggesting they would be offset or reduced somewhere else to make up for that?”

“There will be some parts of the economy where there will be residual emissions. As we’re putting lots of money and investment into sustainable aviation fuel and better technology for aircraft, if there are other parts of the economy where there is residual emissions, overall as an economy we’re moving to net zero.”

On January 30, Fiona Bruce hosted the programme in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, where she discussed the UK’s most pressing political topics with politicians and journalists.

The BBC presenter was accompanied by a five-person panel featuring Labour’s Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Murray, Conservative Shadow Justice Minister Kieran Mullan, Lib Dem Health and Social Care Spokesperson Helen Morgan, Chairman of Reform UK Zia Yusuf and former editor of the Daily Mirror Alison Phillips.

On Wednesday, the Chancellor set out fresh plans to get the UK's economy growing by announcing airport expansions.

During a speech in Oxford, Ms Reeves said a third runway will "unlock further growth, boost investment, increase exports and make the UK more open and more connected.”

The Chancellor also backed expansions at Luton and Gatwick airports, as well as a "growth corridor" between Oxford and Cambridge, which she claimed could be "Europe's Silicon Valley".

The Heathrow expansion alone could create more than 100,000 jobs, Ms Reeves claims.

While details of new flight paths created for the third Heathrow terminal have not been confirmed, the expansion could see the airport’s current annual capacity for around 475,000 flights rise to 740,000.