An Oxfordshire village which could house more than 1,000 asylum seekers has voted overwhelmingly to become an independent state in a symbolic “referendum”.
The people of Piddington voted to secede from the UK after the Government announced plans to house 1,256 male asylum seekers at a nearby former military base.
Signs placed outside the village hall and park declare the area the “Principality of Piddington”, after 285 residents backed independence, with a turnout of nearly 92%.
Just 26 residents voted against the motion, with one spoiled ballot recorded.
Asked about the result of the vote, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he understands the “strength of feeling” across the country about migration.
He said: “It’s difficult, and obviously I will look at the issues being raised by the community and in the referendum, but we have to ensure that we have a fair plan, as well as getting the numbers down, and the numbers are coming down significantly now.”
Speaking after the result was declared, parish chairman Tim McNally said: “Yesterday was the anniversary of the Battle of Britain, and for us, it was the battle for Britain.
“We’ve been identified as ground zero for a whole number of issues.
“I just want to say something to Andy Burnham, the Prime Minister of this great, great country that we’re in, the Speaker of the House of Lords, Speaker of the Commons, Kemi Badenoch, who is the leader of the opposition and all shadow oppositions: this is an example of democracy in operation.”
The vote caught the attention of activist Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, founder of Patriot Platform – the group behind the anti-migrant protests which saw masked men flood Portsmouth and Dover earlier this month.
In a post on X, Tommo said he will travel to Piddington alone in the coming days, to “speak directly with the locals and to see, for myself, what is actually happening”.
Mr McNally told the Press Association Tommo would be welcome to visit the village.
The chairman said: “I don’t know him from anyone else, he’s just another man on the street to me.
“He has his opinions. I’m sure we could cross and have no problem whatsoever.
“But here we have a broad church from left to right. And if he wants to come and talk to me, I’ll happily talk to him, just like I’ve invited everyone to come and talk, because I do believe that’s a way we can resolve issues.”
Mr McNally said Piddington does not need the “security of what he (Tommo) has to offer” as it stands but suggested this could change if the site were to go ahead.
He said: “We had men come just to come protect the church and the village hall, and they were just saying: ‘Well, we’re just going to walk around’.
“We said: ‘Well, fine’, I know they get bored after a while, there’s nothing going on. But it’s not that we’re not welcoming or we don’t want it, it’s just, is there a need?
“But if we don’t understand the risk, people will make a choice and say: ‘Well, maybe we can have a bit of that, because at least they are on our side.'”
It is not clear what will happen next for Piddington.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told broadcasters the “referendum” would not lead to the Government changing its plans, but it is understood a final decision on the site’s use has not been made.
The Home Office’s planning application is yet to be approved, with a public consultation into the decision running until Friday.
Piddington parish councillor Joe Marshall suggested the village could go as far as electing leaders for the new “principality” and issuing identity cards if the Government does not engage.
Mr Marshall said: “The renaming of the village is one of the things. We’ll probably go through and elect some leaders and all that kind of thing to really hammer it home.
“I’ve mentioned to people before about the Principality of Sealand, which is out off the coast of Norwich somewhere, and they have it where they’ve got their own national teams and they’ve got their own stamp and their own symbolic citizenship card and things like that.
“We can really play with it, but I think what we would do more than anything is encourage other areas that don’t support what’s going on in their areas to push for similar things.”
A spokesman for the Home Office said on Tuesday: “The Government is closing every asylum hotel, saving taxpayers over £1 billion on asylum support since the election.
“We are working to fairly house asylum seekers across the country, moving asylum seekers into alternative accommodation, including former military sites which are designed to be self-contained to reduce impact on the local community.
“As part of the process, we engage with local authorities and police forces to ensure the safety and security of those in the surrounding area.”
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