Reform and Tory spokesmen in angry clash over immigration at Piddington

Conservative MP Chris Philp and Reform UK's Zia Yusuf had a blazing row at a joint press conference, as they joined villagers protesting against asylum accommodation plans. The pair clashed when sharing a platform in Piddington to oppose converting a former military site at MoD Bicester into accommodation for more than 1,200 detained asylum seekers.

The two politicians were invited to make speeches about the plans, but things became heated after Yusuf asked Philp to apologise for the Conservatives' record on immigration. Philp, the shadow home secretary, told Yusuf to "calm down" and accused him of "cheap politics", an assertion Reform's home affairs spokesman dismissed.

A press conference led by Piddington Parish Council chairman Tim McNally took place on Friday after Housing Secretary Angela Rayner approved the Home Office's application to change the use of the site for asylum accommodation. The Home Office said this would allow it to continue developing the plan but that no final decision on the site had been taken.