Reform UK's Zia Yusuf was today told to 'read the room' and 'pipe down' as he sparked an on-air spat with Tory shadow home secretary Chris Philp.
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he → tell → Philp
Both Mr Yusuf and Mr Philp were in Piddington, Oxfordshire, to protest against the decision by Labour ministers to approve a migrant camp near the tiny village.
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Yusuf → protest → village
But their joint appearance at a televised press conference descended into a shouting match after Mr Yusuf used it to launch a fresh attack on past Tory administrations.
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Yusuf → televise → administrations
Speaking after Mr Philp, Mr Yusuf asked the senior Conservative whether he would 'like to actually apologise for the things that you did in government'.
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you → speak → government
'Are you going to take the opportunity to apologise to the people of Piddington and to the country?' Mr Yusuf asked, as he hit out at the Tories' record on illegal migration.
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he → go → migration
In response, Mr Philp accused Mr Yusuf of being 'disingenuous' and pointed to how the Conservatives were 'under new leadership' with Kemi Badenoch.
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Conservatives → accuse → Badenoch
'The men that are going to be placed here are men who arrived very recently under this Labour Government', he said of plans to house asylum seekers at MoD Bicester.
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he → go → Bicester
He went on to tell Mr Yusuf - who tried to talk over Mr Philp - to 'read the room' adding: 'The public here want you to pipe down on the cheap politics.'
Reform UK's Zia Yusuf was today told to 'read the room' and 'pipe down' as he sparked an on-air spat with Tory shadow home secretary Chris Philp
Both Mr Yusuf and Mr Philp were in Piddington, Oxfordshire, to protest against the decision by Labour ministers to approve a migrant camp near the tiny village
It came after Communities Secretary Angela Rayner approved full planning permission for the site at MoD Bicester, near Piddington
'Zia you are in a hole, buddy you are in a hole, stop digging,' added Mr Philp to his Reform rival.
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Philp → go → rival
'You have misjudged this situation, do us a favour and calm down.
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You → misjudge → favour
But Mr Yusuf continued: 'You should apologise to the British people and to the people of Piddington.
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You → continue → Piddington
'We would not be in this mess if you had used your majority to secure our borders and stop the boats.'
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you → use → boats
The row only ended when Tim McNally, the leader of Piddington Parish Council, intervened to thank both Mr Yusuf and Mr Philp for their 'passionate discussion'.
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McNally → end → discussion
It came after Communities Secretary Angela Rayner approved full planning permission for the site at MoD Bicester, near Piddington.
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Rayner → come → Piddington
The Government wants to accommodate 1,256 male asylum seekers at the site, despite significant local opposition and fears for female residents' safety.
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Government → want → safety
Locals have told the Government to expect a legal challenge, with the village having already made a symbolic attempt to declare itself independent from the rest of the UK.
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itself → tell → UK
Downing Street on Friday defended the plans to convert the military base into asylum accommodation, insisting the safety of the public will always be its 'top priority'.
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safety → defend → public
The Prime Minister's deputy spokeswoman said such sites are 'designed to be self-contained with 24/7 security and CCTV to minimise the impact on the local community'.
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sites → say → community
She added: 'As the PM himself has said, we do not want a situation where it's only the poorest communities in the country that receive all of the dispersal of refugees and asylum seekers.'
Asked what PM Andy Burnham would say to the women of Piddington, the spokeswoman said: 'I think he would say we completely understand the strength of the feeling here and the safety of the public will always be our top priority.
'
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safety → add → public
And that's why we will work with police and other partners to ensure security arrangements are in place.'
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arrangements → work → place
Mrs Badenoch said the plans were a 'betrayal of the women of Piddington' and 'emblematic of Labour and Angela Rayner's disregard for the law and women and girls' safety'.
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plans → say → law
She posted on social media: 'When I visited Piddington I met a village terrified of what was about to land on their doorstep.
'
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I → post → doorstep
The Government said it was listening, instead it's completely ignored this community's concerns.
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it → say → concerns
The 1,000+ male migrants that Labour are about to deposit in Oxfordshire are in Britain illegally.
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migrants → deposit → Britain
They should be deported as soon as possible, not housed in areas completely unsuitable for the task.'
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They → deport → task
A Home Office spokesperson said previously: 'Planning permission allows us to continue to progress the use of MoD Bicester.
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us → say → Bicester
However, a final decision to proceed is yet to be taken.
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decision → proceed → ?
The Government is working on a fairer distribution of asylum accommodation across the country, with over £1billion saved in costs since the election.
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1billion → work → election
This includes closing all asylum hotels and moving to alternative accommodation, including former military sites.
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This → include → sites
'These are designed to be self-contained, with 24/7 security and CCTV, to minimise the impact on the local community.'
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These → design → community
The Aporia
