Oxfordshire village stages symbolic secession vote over asylum center plan

Residents of Piddington voted overwhelmingly in a nonbinding referendum to symbolically secede from the United Kingdom, protesting plans for an asylum reception center at a nearby former military base. The proposal remains under review, while officials and ministers say military facilities could help replace asylum hotels.

Residents of Piddington, a village of about 350 people in Oxfordshire, have held a symbolic vote to “secede” from the United Kingdom in protest against a proposed asylum reception center nearby.

The parish council said 312 people took part, representing almost 92% turnout. Of those, 285 supported seeking secession and self-determination, 26 opposed the proposal and one ballot was spoiled. The vote had no legal effect, and the village displayed a sign identifying it as the “Principality of Piddington.”

The proposed facility would be located at MoD Bicester (Site A), a disused military base around 25 kilometers northeast of Oxford. Plans to use the site to house asylum seekers remain subject to feasibility studies, planning permission and other requirements, according to information published by the British government.

Piddington parish council chair Tim McNally told Sky News that the protest was about what he described as a lack of proportionality between the size of the village and the proposed number of residents. He also accused the government of attempting to move the plan forward too quickly.

An Oxfordshire County Council official told the BBC that the proposal could turn the village and the facility into a “lightning rod” for potentially violent far-right protests. The vote also drew attention from online anti-migration influencers, according to the source.

The government has been seeking to move asylum seekers from hotels into disused military facilities by 2029. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would consider concerns raised by the community and the referendum, while also arguing that most people supported ending hotel accommodation and that centers should be distributed around the country.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the BBC that a former military base was a better option than hotels or rented accommodation. Government plans say the facility would initially open with smaller numbers, house males aged 18 to 65 and operate for at least 10 years if approved. The site would include security monitoring, laundry facilities and communal areas, with the government saying safety would be a priority.