Mieka Smiles

More details on the shocking Piddington approval here.

Here's the latest on where we are on the Piddington scandal, first broken by @Daily_Express: Angela Rayner has approved plans to house more than 1,200 migrants next to Piddington. Villagers had been ferociously fighting proposals to house 1,256 asylum seekers next to the tiny Oxfordshire village. But Ms Rayner, the Communities Secretary, has used emergency powers to grant planning permission. This means the Home Office can legally use the site for asylum accommodation if it wants to. Sources have "welcomed" Ms Rayner's decision, with officials now saying it will help create a "fairer distribution of asylum seekers". Mr Smith told the Daily Express: "This is devastating news for my constituents, with many Mid Bucks villages within walking distance of MOD Bicester. This decision proves the Government have not listened to a word we have said, on safety, on cost, on the environmental impacts." But Ms Rayner said in her bombshell decision: "The Secretary of State agrees that national demand for asylum accommodation remains high and that the proposal would provide up to 1,256 places, helping to address the shortage of suitable single-occupancy provision, support the discharge of statutory asylum-support functions, improve the resilience and contingency capacity of the nationally managed asylum accommodation estate and reduce reliance on hotels and other contingency accommodation." And the Labour cabinet minister appears to dismiss concerns about migrants roaming around communities. The decision letter states: "The Secretary of State has taken account of Thames Valley Police’s response, in which it does not object, and its advice concerning detailed designing-out-crime measures, the visibility and privacy of occupants, potential protest activity, community perceptions of safety and security and potential additional policing demands. "She agrees that the site’s controlled boundaries, on-site facilities, security staffing, safeguarding arrangements and liaison with relevant health, police, local-authority and community partners would materially reduce potential safeguarding, community-cohesion and public-safety effects."

Big scoop by @jjanisiobi