Sir Edward Leigh, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Gainsborough, has condemned the Home Office’s confirmation that it will put the former RAF base at Scampton on the open market.

Dame Angela Eagle MP, the Minister for Border Security & Asylum, wrote to the local MP to inform him that the Home Office “will begin to market the site in the coming weeks”.

“This will delay matters for months when we have a funded plan ready to go,” Sir Edward Leigh said. “They’re just doing this to cover their backsides because they wasted £64 million trying to put illegal migrants there. They’ve wasted three years already. They can sell it immediately to a public sector body by West Lindsey through existing procedures.”

“West Lindsey District Council and Scampton Holdings Limited have put years of work and effort into crafting a better future for Scampton,” he continued. “The Home Office are sticking their heads in the sand and denying the reality of the careful planning that has gone into this site.”

The MP highlighted that businesses operating on the base hoped to continue “but the Home Office have put their future in peril”.

“We have sitting tenants who want to stay and who could continue if the Home Office would just see sense,” Sir Edward said.

The Member of Parliament said he would continue to work alongside West Lindsey District Council to seek the best possible future for the site.