# 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.
- Title: English village votes to leave UK over asylum plan | Shortify
- Summary: Piddington's symbolic secession referendum highlights growing tensions over government plans to house migrants near small communities. A tiny English village…
- Keywords: piddington, oxfordshire, england, asylum seekers, military base, symbolic referendum, secession, migration policy, labour party, lisa nandy, community protest, news
- Source: Malay Mail — https://malaymail.com/news/world/2026/09/16/i-voted-to-leave-the-uk-tiny-english-village-secedes-in-protest-over-asylum-centre-plan/235429
- Published: 2026-09-16T21:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: piddington, oxfordshire, england, asylum seekers, military base, symbolic referendum, secession, migration policy, labour party, lisa nandy, community protest, news
## 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.
## Key takeaway

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.