Sir Edward Leigh, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Gainsborough, has written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over the Home Office defying two stop notices issued by West Lindsey District Council.

“West Lindsey are denied access to the site as it is Crown land,” Sir Edward said in his letter to the Prime Minister, “but there is little doubt that the Home Office is acting illegally in disobeying a stop order.”

The local authority used its planning powers to issue enforcement notices against the Home Office for works undertaken at RAF Scampton where the Government proposes to house illegal migrants.

Sir Edward asked that the Home Office “act honourably and within the law” to seek a way forward by cooperating with local authorities.

“I am convinced that a constructive solution is possible, but this is entirely dependent on the Home Office shifting gears to a more helpful and beneficial path of working,” the MP said.

West Lindsey officials are “honourable, intelligent, hard-working, and have an expert knowledge of RAF Scampton and the surrounding area” according to the MP. “They are ready, willing, and able should the Home Office seek to work more cooperatively.”

Sir Edward pointed out that the value-for-money case for housing illegal migrants at Scampton “has been blown out of the water” and that the proposal undermines the £300-million regeneration deal for the site.

“This is all the more astonishing when you consider that RAF Scampton is composed of 800 acres, a 1.7-mile-long runway, and a hundred buildings, but the Home Office is using just a miniscule amount of the site for its hard landing,” the MP continued.

“Surely the Government owns hundred of acres of hard standing across the country and needn’t undermine its own Levelling Up priorities by scuppering Scampton’s regeneration?”

Sir Edward informed the Prime Minister that he was writing similar letters to the Home Secretary and to the Attorney General.