A curious row has exploded in the projectile-packed leadership race. This morning’s Yorkshire Post splashed on the news that Rishi Sunak (a Yorkshire MP) would oppose Tory plans for 1,500 asylum seekers being housed in a disused RAF base in the region, ahead of tonight’s Darlington hustings. Yet, just hours later, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace revealed he had ‘withdrawn’ the offer and insisted such an incendiary move is no longer happening. Wallace told ITV:
I have withdrawn the offer to the Home Office for that site. It’s been with them for a number of months. I have obligations to do something else with that site and you know there are other sites we made available to the Home Office if they wish to take it up.
No word yet as to what ‘obligations’ they may be. The move is all the more odd as Wallace’s deputy James Heappey was insisting to the Commons as late as June that ‘defence is currently in the process of finalising a memorandum of transfer of occupation which will enable the Home Office to provide additional asylum accommodation capacity.’
Could such a sudden change in ministerial policy be anything to do with Wallace, a Truss backer, refusing to give Sunak a much-needed shot in the arm by providing his campaign with a cause around which to rally?
Not, er, according to Wallace, whose interview with ITV correspondent Harry Horton prompted the latter to tweet that the Defence Secretary ‘insisted it’s purely coincidence he’s withdrawn the Linton site for consideration on the same day Rishi Sunak announced his opposition to the plans.’
‘Purely coincidence,’ eh? To misquote William Cowper, MoD moves in a mysterious way…
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