Conservative MP Chris Philp and Reform UK's Zia Yusuf engaged in a heated argument at a joint press conference in Piddington on Friday. The two politicians were speaking against plans to convert a former military site at MoD Bicester into accommodation for more than 1,200 detained asylum seekers.
The confrontation began after Mr Yusuf, Reform's home affairs spokesman, asked Mr Philp, the shadow home secretary, to apologise for the Conservatives' immigration record. Mr Philp told Mr Yusuf to "calm down" and accused him of "cheap politics", a claim Mr Yusuf dismissed.
The press conference, led by Piddington Parish Council chairman Tim McNally, followed Housing Secretary Angela Rayner's approval of the Home Office's application to change the site's use. The Home Office stated this allows development of the plan, but no final decision on the site has been made. Significant local opposition to the proposal has been reported, and the parish council expects to launch a legal challenge to the planning decision.