MPs have rejected a Conservative opposition day motion condemning the Government’s proposed use of a former military site near Piddington, Oxfordshire, for asylum accommodation and calling for the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The House of Commons voted 309 to 113 against the motion on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, a majority of 196. The result is recorded as Division 85 in the official parliamentary record.
What MPs voted on
The motion, moved by Conservative MP Joy Morrissey, stated that the House should condemn the Government’s plan to place migrants at MoD Bicester and call for withdrawal from the ECHR in order to deport people described in the motion as illegal migrants.
That means the vote was not a standalone parliamentary decision on whether the Piddington accommodation site should open. MPs were voting on a combined opposition motion covering the site and the Conservatives’ wider position on the ECHR.
Plans for the former military site
The proposal concerns accommodation for up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at a former Ministry of Defence site near the village of Piddington. The plans have prompted opposition among some local residents, including concerns about consultation, local services and community safety.
During the Commons debate, Home Office minister Anna Turley said the Government was seeking alternatives to costly asylum hotels, including former military facilities. She also confirmed that the Home Office had submitted a planning application for MoD Bicester but that no final decision had been made on using the site.
The Government said the application remained subject to the planning process and relevant assessments. Rejecting the Conservative motion does not itself grant planning permission or constitute a final operational decision to house people there.
Conservative and Government positions
Conservative MPs argued that the proposed location was unsuitable and called for stronger action on removals, including leaving the ECHR. Government ministers defended their approach to reducing asylum hotel use and maintaining a controlled asylum system, while disputing the opposition’s proposed response.
The debate and vote took place on 14 October. The Commons rejected the motion, but the planning and operational processes concerning MoD Bicester remain separate from that parliamentary result.