diff --git a/py/compile.c b/py/compile.c
index f3ac5b3837eb5..5dbd5fbca7826 100644
--- a/py/compile.c
+++ b/py/compile.c
@@ -935,17 +935,6 @@ STATIC void compile_return_stmt(compiler_t *comp, mp_parse_node_struct_t *pns) {
     if (MP_PARSE_NODE_IS_NULL(pns->nodes[0])) {
         // no argument to 'return', so return None
         EMIT_ARG(load_const_tok, MP_TOKEN_KW_NONE);
-    } else if (MP_PARSE_NODE_IS_STRUCT_KIND(pns->nodes[0], PN_test_if_expr)) {
-        // special case when returning an if-expression; to match CPython optimisation
-        mp_parse_node_struct_t *pns_test_if_expr = (mp_parse_node_struct_t*)pns->nodes[0];
-        mp_parse_node_struct_t *pns_test_if_else = (mp_parse_node_struct_t*)pns_test_if_expr->nodes[1];
-
-        uint l_fail = comp_next_label(comp);
-        c_if_cond(comp, pns_test_if_else->nodes[0], false, l_fail); // condition
-        compile_node(comp, pns_test_if_expr->nodes[0]); // success value
-        EMIT(return_value);
-        EMIT_ARG(label_assign, l_fail);
-        compile_node(comp, pns_test_if_else->nodes[1]); // failure value
     } else {
         compile_node(comp, pns->nodes[0]);
     }