Piddington Backs UK Secession 285-26 Over Plan to House 1,200 Asylum Seekers
Updated
Updated · KSL.com · Sep 16
Piddington Backs UK Secession 285-26 Over Plan to House 1,200 Asylum Seekers
3 articles · Updated · KSL.com · Sep 16
Summary
285 villagers backed a symbolic break from the U.K., with 26 against, after Piddington held a non-binding referendum on the nearby migrant housing plan.
The protest targets government plans to place up to 1,200 male asylum seekers at the former MoD Bicester base, about half a mile from the Oxfordshire village of roughly 350 people.
Residents say the site could hurt safety and house prices, while the government says the base would be largely self-sufficient and Prime Minister Andy Burnham promised to review local concerns without dropping a broader dispersal plan.
The vote lands amid a wider surge in anti-immigrant protests and rhetoric in Britain, even as ministers say Channel crossings are down more than 40% this year and asylum claims are being processed faster.