Conservative and Reform UK politicians clashed in a shouting match during a news conference in Piddington, Oxfordshire, on November 13, 2026, as residents protested against approved plans for an asylum camp just outside the village.
Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and Reform UK's Zia Yusuf attended the event, which quickly descended into a heated exchange after Mr Yusuf attacked the Conservatives' record on immigration and handling of asylum seekers.
Politicians Trade Insults
Mr Philp labelled the Reform grandee's comments 'disingenuous' and called on him to 'pipe down on the cheap politics'. In response, Mr Yusuf told the Tory MP: 'We would not be in this mess if you had used your majority to secure our borders.'
Mr Philp retorted: 'Buddy, you're in a hole. Stop digging.' He added that Conservatives would block the development at MOD Bicester Site A, saying they would close the camp 'straight away' if it were built under Labour, after Angela Rayner signed off on the project last night.
Residents' Concerns
The former cabinet minister told Mr Yusuf to 'read the room' and that he had 'missed the point'. 'You've misjudged the situation. Do yourself a favour. Calm down,' he added.
The government has said the camp, which will have a capacity for more than 1,200 asylum seekers, is necessary to achieve its target of closing all migrant hotels, with the prime minister insisting such accommodation could not just be built in deprived areas.
Political Context
The stand-off comes after Tory leader Kemi Badenoch ruled out a pact with Nigel Farage's party. Both right-wing parties are trailing Andy Burnham's Labour in the polls by several percentage points.
Mrs Badenoch insisted Mr Philp had won both 'the exchange and the applause' in Piddington, which voted this year to leave the UK in a symbolic referendum. Referring to Mr Yusuf, she said: 'The fake one went along to score cheap points but made an arse of himself instead.'
Key concerns for Piddington residents include public safety as well as the lack of suitability of the site. Campaign group Wrong Plan, Wrong Site accused the government of 'moving problems down the road'.
It said in a statement: 'At a time when Britain needs to be ready to defend itself, the Government wants to put an asylum centre on land used to train an internationally recognised specialist military unit of nearly 1,000 personnel and right next to that unit's headquarters.'
'Ministers say they will move the military training elsewhere, but this would weaken our defence readiness and cost the taxpayer even more. It doesn't appear that the Government has properly assessed the defence implications.'
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: 'The Secretary of State has granted full planning permission for the temporary, phased use of the former MOD Bicester storage site. As the decision may be subject to legal challenge, it would not be appropriate to comment further.'
