Oxfordshire village votes 285 to 26 for symbolic secession over asylum site

Symbolic secession ballot in Piddington

Residents of Piddington, an Oxfordshire village of approximately 350 to 400 people, cast ballots on 15 September 2026 in an unofficial referendum to leave the United Kingdom. Organised by the local parish council, the non-binding ballot attracted 312 voters, representing an overall turnout of nearly 92%. Susannah Parden, the vice-chair of the parish council, declared the final result in the village hall, where 285 residents voted in favour of seeking self-determination, 26 voted against, and one ballot was spoilt. Parish council chairman Tim McNally described the initiative as a plucky idea and announced that the settlement would symbolically rename itself the Principality of Piddington. Outside the hall, organizers displayed a pennant reading "Battle of Britain 2026" while playing a community campaign song.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the Battle of Britain, and for us, it was the battle for Britain.

Opposition to MoD Bicester asylum camp

The referendum was triggered by Home Office proposals announced in June 2026 to convert the nearby former military installation MoD Bicester into an asylum accommodation centre. Under the government plan, the facility would accommodate up to 1,256 single male asylum seekers aged between 18 and 65. The proposal mirrors an earlier project for MoD Bicester that was abandoned by a previous Labour administration in 2005 following local opposition. Across the country, official records showed 16,000 asylum seekers living in contracted hotels at the end of June 2026, down by more than half compared to the previous year. On 4 July 2026, 96% of participating Piddington residents voted in an initial village meeting to hold the independence poll to register their objection to the camp.

This is totally disproportionate. It is a take-over of our village, they will be four times as many as the residents.

Government stance and parliamentary reaction

Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that he understood the anxieties expressed in the village, but reaffirmed the policy of distributing asylum seekers across Britain. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy defended the decision to use former military property, stating that bases offer a more suitable option than commercial hotels or private rental properties. Nandy noted that the government has accelerated claim processing since 2024 and achieved higher numbers of removals of failed applicants, pointing to a decrease in small-boat crossings of the English Channel during the summer. Calum Miller, the Member of Parliament representing Bicester and Woodstock, opposed the project, arguing that the selection process excluded adequate public consultation. Nandy affirmed on Wednesday morning that the government intended to proceed with opening the MoD Bicester site.

So we are working very hard to get a grip on the asylum chaos that we inherited.

Security plans and village divisions

Following the referendum, parish councillors moved forward with plans to install wireless CCTV cameras and establish local security patrols across the parish. A group of 133 female residents signed a statement expressing concerns over safety, while parish councillor Michael Nixon cited worries regarding public access to the village recreation park. The dispute attracted outside political attention after activist Danny Tommo suggested that members of his Patriot Platform group could assemble in the area if construction proceeds. One resident, Rachel, told the BBC that she had never experienced the level of overt hostility that the village was witnessing during the campaign. Parish council records showed previous local disputes over area infrastructure, including a July 2025 decision reserving the village sports field exclusively for Piddington residents.