Piddington votes to leave UK over plans for migrant camp

Oxfordshire village passes symbolic referendum held to protest against plans to house 1,200 asylum seekers nearby

Charles HymasHome Affairs Editor

Updated 16 September 2026 7:27am BSTPublished 16 September 2026 6:50am BST

A village in Oxfordshire has voted to leave the UK in a symbolic referendum in response to plans to house 1,200 migrants next door.

Residents in Piddington voted 285 to 26 to “secede from the UK and pursue self-determination” after the Government announced plans to convert a former army garrison into a camp for 1,256 male asylum seekers.

The result was declared by Susannah Parden, a parish councillor, just after 7am on Wednesday, based on a turnout of nearly 92 per cent.

The referendum carried no legal or constitutional weight, but villagers wanted to register their concerns about the threat that the camp represented to their way of life.

Residents have said the male migrants would outnumber villagers by nearly four to one and increase the risk of crime.

Tim McNally, the chairman of Piddington parish council, said the vote – held on the anniversary of the 1940 Battle of Britain – was a “battle for Britain” and an example of “democracy in operation”.

He said: “It is a message to the Government that you are going to have to change. You are going to have to grow into our way of thinking.”

Mr McNally admitted the vote had no legal standing but added: “We are formerly the village known as Piddington. Today we are to be known as the principality of Piddington and we will be putting up a sign to that effect.”

Residents hold a sign declaring the new ‘principality of Piddington’ after the symbolic vote is passed

Credit: PA Wire /Joe Giddens

He said the village would move on to the next phase of its campaign and could become a catalyst for similar referendums across the country.

The parish has been approached by 500 town and village councillors and residents for advice on replicating the campaign, which was backed by the Conservatives, Reform and the Liberal Democrats.

“The next phase is that we have found ourselves where people across the country have reached out to me asking how we can help them do what we have done in Piddington. We are going to move forward and help those places that need help,” Mr McNally said.

Around 133 women in Piddington wrote to every female MP last week, saying that “life as we know it will be destroyed” if the plans for the migrant site went ahead.

“We will not feel safe walking our streets. We are already living in fear,” they added.

There were 312 ballots cast in the Piddington referendum on Tuesday

Credit: PA Wire/Joe Giddens

As well as the vote, villagers have drawn up plans to install a network of wireless CCTV cameras, an emergency alert system and security patrols because of their safety concerns.

Additionally, speaking to The Telegraph on the eve of the vote, women in the village said they planned to take up self-defence classes.

Herbert Owen, 76, compared the independence referendum with the Battle of Britain in the Second World War, the anniversary of which the ballot has been timed to coincide with.

After casting his vote, Mr Owen said: “It means everything our grandparents, our parents fought for – today is the Battle of Britain. This isn’t just about Piddington, this is about our whole country. This Government is destabilising our country.

“Wherever they put these people, in camps, in HMOs [houses in multiple occupation], or whatever, they’re ruining people’s lives.”

Herbert Owen, a Piddington villager, casting his ballot on Tuesday in the symbolic referendum

Credit: John Lawrence

Asked if Piddington had sent ministers a message, Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, said: “Well, I think they have, and we’ve heard it. We’re listening, and I do really understand that when changes are made that affect your community, it can be very distressing.”

However, she said many poorer communities in the UK had been forced to deal with not only with large numbers of asylum seekers housed in hotels or HMOs but also other accommodation being allocated to ex-offenders and other vulnerable groups.

“It’s caused real chaos in the community, and I do think using military bases and asking all communities to do their bit is a fairer way than asking some of the poorest people in the country to take the whole burden,” she said.

Her comments echo Andy Burnham, the Prime Minister, who has suggested that wealthier areas of the UK should house more asylum seekers.

Villagers have drawn up plans to improve security measures in Piddington because of their safety concerns

Credit: AFP via Getty Images/JUSTIN TALLIS

Concerns have also been raised about the safety of the migrants, who will be given hi-vis jackets to avoid them being targeted while walking along busy roads.

Mike Nixon, a parish councillor, said the proposed Ministry of Defence site had no pedestrian access. “The nearest path is about a mile and a quarter away, down a very busy road that’s unlit,” he added.

In the submitted plans, the proposed camp was described as having “limited” pedestrian access, with travel on foot “not recommended”.

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Minibuses are expected to be provided to take the migrants to nearby towns, including Bicester.

Piddington is one of three former military sites proposed for asylum camps by the Home Office. The two other proposed asylum camps – the former RAF base at Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire and at RAF Barnham in Suffolk – have been met with similar concerns.

Asylum camps are already operating at RAF Wethersfield in Essex and Crowborough in Sussex.