- Communities Secretary Angela Rayner has granted full planning permission to convert a former Ministry of Defence site near Piddington into housing for 1,256 male asylum seekers.
- The proposal faced strong local opposition over safety concerns, prompting the parish council to symbolically vote to declare independence from the UK in September.
- The Home Office welcomed the planning approval as part of a strategy to replace asylum hotels with military sites, though a final decision to proceed is yet to be taken.
- The planning decision confirmed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government remains open to legal challenges for six weeks.
- Reform UK shadow home secretary Zia Yusuf condemned the decision, arguing that the government has “betrayed” local residents.
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