Villages join revolt over migrant camps
Villagers say the plan would place 1,256 male asylum seekers at a nearby former military base without enough local consultation, and the vote has no legal force.
- On Tuesday, residents of Piddington, Oxfordshire, cast ballots in a symbolic referendum to secede from the United Kingdom, protesting government plans to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at the nearby MoD Bicester site.
- The Home Office fast-tracked an Urgent Crown Development application for the former military base, prompting intense local opposition as residents fear the facility will destroy village character despite government assurances the site aims to be as self-contained as possible.
- Villagers organized the ballot at the village hall, with residents describing the symbolic protest as reflecting concerns over their community of about 350 people facing a demographic shift from the proposed facility.
- Reform UK championed the secessionist tactic, with Reform UK MP Suella Braverman and Reform MP Sarah Pochin visiting to support residents who claim the government "does not want to engage with villagers concerns" regarding the project's impact.
- Although the symbolic referendum holds no legal weight, parish chair Tim McNally said the vote sends "a really powerful message to the government that we're being ignored and disenfranchised," potentially signaling broader national discontent with asylum accommodation policies.
38 Articles
38 Articles
The village of Piddington, with a population of 350, sees with a bad eye the commitment made by the Labour Party to relocate 16,000 asylum seekers, including 1250 on the outskirts of the city.
"Why is there a referendum in the village?": A British town with a population of 400 people wants to secede from the kingdom
"Why is there a referendum in the village?": A British town with a population of 400 people wants to secede from the kingdom. "The British town of Piddington in Oxfordshire County is holding a symbolic independence referendum on Tuesday due to the...
'Referendum' symbolic today in a small English village, Piddington, where residents have called to the polls to vote on their fantastic separation from the United Kingdom: in the context of one of the most eccentric protests against immigration between the... (ANSA)
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