An Oxfordshire MP has asked if controversial plans to reopen an immigration centre can be cancelled. 

MPs and councillors have been calling for home secretary Yvette Cooper to reverse her decision to reopen Campsfield House in Kidlington. 

Both Oxford City Council and Cherwell District Council recently passed motions urging a rethink. 

The house is in Cherwell District Council's boundary, and has been mired in controversy. 

Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester Calum Miller recently asked the Home Office if it could be cancelled. 

In a question submitted on October 30, he said: “To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the contract for the development of a Immigration Removal Centre at the former Campsfield House site in Oxfordshire, if there are any options for either party to (a) cancel and (b) vary the contract; and if this contract applies only to phase one of the development.”

READ MORE: Government defends reopening contentious centre near Oxford

Campsfield House protest in 2008 (Image: Contributed) In a response published on November 5, Dame Angela Eagle, minister for border security and asylum, said: “As previously announced, the Home Office is proceeding with plans to open an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) on the site of the former Campsfield House IRC.

“The contract referenced relates to building works for phase one of the development being undertaken at the site. This may be terminated at any time by the Home Office, or by the contractor in the event of a breach of the terms of the contract.

“Regulation 72 of the Public Contracts Regulations (PCR) 2015 details the extent to which a contract can be amended after an award of contract.”

In 2018, the Conservative government announced its decision to permanently close Campsfield House as part of its new policy to reduce the UK’s detention estate by half.

This decision followed two major reviews into migrant detention conducted by Sir Stephen Shaw, in 2016 and 2018, which recommended that government resources would be better directed to speeding up the Home Office’s rate of asylum application processing.

The recommendations were fully accepted by the government and Campsfield House was closed in early 2019.

It followed years of problems, including riots, escapes and complaints about conditions.
In June 2022, the Conservative government reversed its detention closure policy.

During the general election campaign, the Labour Party promised a complete departure from the Conservative approach, and cancelled the Rwanda scheme.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper faced criticism after she announced plans to reopen Campsfield House in Kidlington earlier this year. 

A letter from the Home Office to Oxford City Council said that the government is increasing the number of detention centres “to support the higher pace of removals" and that the authority aims to "deter and tackle immigration abuse and protect the public and vulnerable individuals within the system”.

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About the author  

Toby is a senior reporter who has a particular interest in covering planning and local government. 

He joined in September 2024 having been a reporter at the Hampshire Chronicle for three years. 

Toby studied at the University of Brighton and can be found on X through the handle @JournoToby