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Ferrari presses Pollard on consultation over Piddington asylum plan

LBC's interview adds the government's defence of military-site accommodation to the debate over Angela Rayner's planning approval.

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LBC Story of November 14, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of LBC's most watched videos since yesterday, with 66,788 views.

Piddington: Asylum camp 'pushed through' by Angela Rayner

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0:00Ferrari challenges Pollard over local opposition; Pollard defends military sites as a way to close asylum hotels.
3:05Kevin Foster says the planning route being used does not include public consultation on the application.
8:02A caller proposes a supplier boycott; Ferrari questions its effects on local businesses and villagers.
9:53Another caller suggests old cruise ships; Ferrari notes that vessel accommodation has been tried at Weymouth.

Luke Pollard says military sites will help the government close asylum hotels faster. Nick Ferrari's question is whether residents' objections make any difference to what happens next.

In LBC's interview, the Defence Minister defends plans to use Ministry of Defence accommodation near Piddington in Oxfordshire. According to the broadcaster, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has approved planning permission for a centre intended to accommodate more than 1,200 asylum seekers, with a six-week window for a legal challenge.

"Minister, what is the point of public consultation if your government blithely ignores it in cases such as these?" Ferrari asks.

Pollard says he recognises residents' concerns. He argues that temporary accommodation at military sites, including those near Bicester and at Crowborough, is needed to end the use of hotels. He says the government has already closed roughly half the asylum hotels it inherited, but wants to close them all.

Ferrari challenges him over what the host describes as overwhelming opposition in an earlier consultation. The next interview introduces a distinction between that exercise and the planning process itself: former Conservative immigration minister Kevin Foster says the route being used means there is no public consultation on the planning application.

The phone-in then turns to suggested alternatives. One caller proposes boycotting businesses supplying the centre; Ferrari questions the consequences for local shops and residents. Another suggests old cruise ships, prompting Ferrari to point out that accommodation on vessels has already been tried at Weymouth.