Village votes in symbolic referendum to leave UK in protest over migrant housing plan

Village votes in symbolic referendum to leave UK in protest over migrant housing plan

Out of 312 votes cast in Piddington, 285 in favor of leaving UK, with parish council chair describing it as 'example of democracy in operation'

Burak Bir

16 September 2026•Update: 16 September 2026

LONDON

Residents in an Oxfordshire village have voted to become independent from the UK in a symbolic referendum, protesting government plans to house more than 1,200 asylum seekers nearby, according to media reports on Wednesday.

Villagers in Piddington, near Bicester, voted on Tuesday over Home Office proposals to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at a nearby Defense Ministry base in Bicester, the BBC reported.

Some 350 residents were invited to cast their ballots in a small box outside the village hall as the referendum was organized by the local parish council.

Out of 312 votes cast, 285 votes were in favor of leaving the UK.

Delivering the result, Susannah Parden, vice chair of the parish council, said: "We are Piddington, the village that roars."

Following the result, council chair Tim McNally said: "This is an example of democracy in operation.

"We went into this village hall as the underdogs - we had a plucky idea. We have given a message to the world."

In January, the UK Home Office announced its plan to use the base, known as Site A, located at the former Bicester Garrison site between Piddington and Upper Arncott, to house migrants.