Piddington Residents Vote for Independence to Protest Asylum Center

Residents of Piddington, Oxfordshire, voted overwhelmingly in a symbolic referendum on September 16 to secede from the United Kingdom and form the Principality of Piddington. Of the 312 votes cast, 285 supported independence while 26 opposed it. The vote serves as a protest against plans by the Government of the United Kingdom to house 1,256 male asylum seekers at a former Ministry of Defence site in Bicester.

Local officials and residents argue the site is unsuitable due to inadequate infrastructure, including poor drainage and a lack of pedestrian access on unlit roads. A group of 133 female residents issued an open letter to female MPs citing safety concerns, leading some women to take self-defense classes. To implement the plan, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood intends to use the Urgent Crown Development Process to bypass local planning authorities.

Government ministers, including Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, defended the strategy as a way to close asylum hotels and save taxpayers over £1 billion. They argued that the burden of housing asylum seekers must be shared across the nation rather than falling solely on poorer communities. Opposition figures, including Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, visited the village to support the residents.

Parish chairman Tim McNally characterized the movement as a Battle for Britain and sought leverage against the government by contacting the United States embassy to reach Donald Trump. While the referendum is legally non-binding, village leaders have suggested issuing symbolic identity cards to maintain pressure on the government.