From Malay Mail · · 2m
English village votes to leave UK over asylum plan
Piddington's symbolic secession referendum highlights growing tensions over government plans to house migrants near small communities.
In brief
Piddington's symbolic secession referendum highlights growing tensions over government plans to house migrants near small communities. A tiny English village staged a tongue-in-cheek independence vote to protest housing 1,200 asylum seekers at a nearby military base, reflecting broader national resistance to asylum…
Village stages independence vote
Piddington, a 350-person English village near Oxford, held a symbolic referendum where 285 of 312 residents voted to secede from the UK in protest of asylum housing plans.
1,200 migrants planned for military site
The government plans to house over 1,200 asylum seekers, mostly single adult males, at a disused military base near the village for at least 10 years.
Parish council declares 'principality'
Parish council chair Tim McNally announced the village will now be known as the 'principality of Piddington' following the referendum result.
Residents cite integration concerns
McNally questioned how 350 people could assimilate with 1,250 migrants, while other villagers worried about safety and the migrants' activities in the small community.
“For us, it's about proportionality, how does a small village of 350 odd people assimilate with 1,250 males?”
Teen fears losing sense of safety
Seventeen-year-old Dita Jackson said she would not feel safe walking around the village anymore if the centre opens.
“I won't really feel safe enough to walk around anymore”
Council leader warns of far-right protests
Oxfordshire council leader Tim Bearder warned the centre could become a 'lightning rod' for far-right groups to protest and potentially attack asylum seekers.
Government defends military base plan
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said a former military base is a better option than hotels for housing asylum seekers and that the centre will proceed.
“We do have to house people somewhere while we get a grip on the asylum chaos... and that base will go ahead”
Labour phasing out hotel accommodations
The Labour government, in power since July 2024, is ending the use of hotels for migrant housing by 2029, shifting to former military bases instead.
Broader national resistance to asylum housing
Regular protests have been staged across Britain against housing asylum seekers in hotels and other facilities, reflecting widespread community concerns.
Vote inspired by 1949 comedy film
The referendum was a playful reference to the 1949 British film 'Passport to Pimlico', where Londoners declare independence to escape post-war rationing.
At a glance
A tiny English village staged a tongue-in-cheek independence vote to protest housing 1,200 asylum seekers at a nearby military base, reflecting broader national resistance to asylum accommodation plans.
