GB News, on UK Politics, 26 October 2026

6.0out of 10Serious

Barnham residents vote to hold Piddington-inspired independence referendum over RAF Barnham migrant camp plans

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Barnham residents vote to hold Piddington-inspired 'independence' referendum over migrant camp plans Just seven residents voted against holding a referendum on 'leaving the UK' Sign up to the News Newsletter Email address Sign up I agree to receive updates and information about my account, the GB News Community, and related products and services from GB News. By signing up you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy and Community Rules.

Thank you for signing up! See the latest from GB News here . Choose GB News on Google - add us as a preferred source Choose GB News Support GB News Champion free speech and independent journalism while unlocking exclusive benefits. Support us Residents of Barnham have voted to hold a referendum on leaving the UK over . Locals in the Suffolk village will become the second to hold a referendum after Piddington held a symbolic vote to leave the UK, dubbed the " Battle for Britain ".

Saturday's decision was made at a packed public meeting. Just seven of the 80 attendees voted against holding a referendum , according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say A working group will now meet to set out the timeline for the vote. The Government disclosed on Friday that the Home Office had plans for the base. It is now set to host 913 asylum seekers. Barnham's population hovers around 600, leaving the residents outnumbered by the asylum seekers, who are all expected to be young single men.

RAF Barnham has hosted regular protests around the | PA Barnham Parish Council chairman John Bauer , who supported the move, said: "Residents voted decisively in favour of holding a referendum as a means to demonstrate the strength of feeling in the village at the government's failure to consult anyone about a matter which will change the nature of the village. "This democratic action stands in dramatic contrast to the high-handed approach the government is taking."

GB News has previously reported how residents of the village were advised to get the attention of US President Donald Trump to help their cause . Mr Bauer told The People's Channel that nothing was being "ruled out", including involving the President, and noted that nearby Thetford was the birthplace of US founding father Thomas Paine, who wrote the pro-independence pamphlet Common Sense. MIGRANTS AT RAF BASES - READ MORE: Revealed: The true scale of crime reports at Wethersfield migrant camp Taxpayers could be hit with £270million bill for asylum centre in Yorkshire village 'It is NOT suitable!'

Barnham locals plan Piddington-style referendum over plans to house 1,250 asylum seekers in small village Barnham residents have previously been advised to involve President Donald Trump | PA Reform UK-led Suffolk County Council has also called for a county-wide referendum on independence. But the Labour MP has refused to back such a motion . He told Britain's News Channel: "I don't know the cost of (the county-wide referendum), but we're probably talking millions of pounds."

He added: "I absolutely would not support that because I don't think it's a good use of taxpayers' funds." Just seven of the 80 attendees voted against holding a referendum | PA He did, however, back a "proportionate" local referendum in the small sleepy village, saying it would give "them an opportunity to make their voices". A Home Office spokesman said it was "working on a fairer distribution of asylum accommodation across the country".

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What we found (3)

GB News opens its report by saying the RAF base will house 1,250 male migrants, a figure its own later sentences and other coverage show the Home Office has already cut to 913. In its own voice it calls the site a "migrant camp" and says the scale-back was done "quietly", while also reporting that the Government disclosed it.

  1. Uses figures that mislead

    Serious

    “plans to house 1,250 male migrants at a nearby RAF base”

    Why this matters
    The opening news paragraph gives "1,250 male migrants" as the current plan for the base.
    The impression it gives
    A reader takes 1,250 as the number of people the Home Office now intends to house at RAF Barnham.
    The context
    The article itself says a few lines later that the plans were scaled back and the base is now set to host 913. The Mirror reports that 1,250 was an earlier figure and the latest plans put it at up to 913; the BBC gives about 930. The outlet leads with a figure it knows is out of date.

    How we know

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    Residents of Barnham have voted to hold a symbolic referendum on leaving the UK over plans to house up to 913 asylum seekers at a nearby RAF base, down from an earlier figure of 1,250.

  2. Uses a loaded word

    Minor

    “quietly scaled back”

    Why this matters
    The word "quietly" suggests the Home Office hid the change.
    The impression it gives
    A reader thinks the reduction was slipped out without announcement.
    The context
    The same sentence says the Government disclosed the change on Friday, and the BBC reported it two days earlier as a published story.

    How we know

    Show it in the article

  3. Uses a loaded word

    Minor

    “planned conversion into a migrant camp”

    Why this matters
    In its own voice GB News calls the asylum accommodation a "migrant camp", the same term it uses in the headline.
    The impression it gives
    A reader pictures a camp rather than housing at a former military site.
    The context
    The Home Office describes former military sites used as asylum accommodation; the BBC and Mirror call it asylum housing.

    How we know

    Show it in the article

How other outlets reported it

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