Tiny English village votes to split from UK in spat over migrant center

By Jack Guy, CNN

London (CNN) — A tiny rural village in central England has voted to secede from the United Kingdom in protest over plans to house more than 1,000 migrants at a former military site nearby.

The referendum took place on Tuesday in Piddington, Oxfordshire, with an overwhelming majority of voters backing the symbolic plan to pursue self-determination as a principality, Susannah Parden, vice chair of the parish council, announced on Wednesday.

“We had 312 votes counted, which is nearly 92% of the ballot papers issued,” she said, revealing that there had been 285 votes in favor, 26 against and one spoiled ballot.

The referendum was held in response to government plans to house up to 1,250 adult male migrants at the Bicester Garrison, a former military site near the village.

Piddington is home to 358 people, according to 2021 data from the Diocese of Oxford, a church and a village hall – there is no local store, post office or pub.

The result of the vote holds no legal weight, but it is the latest sign of growing tensions surrounding migration in the UK, particularly around the arrival of migrant boats crossing the English Channel from France, and the issue of where to house recent arrivals.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham, of the center-left Labour party, has been attempting to move migrants out of expensive temporary accommodation in hotels and into ex-military bases, which has sparked opposition in nearby communities.

Tim McNally, chair of the Piddington parish council, told a press conference Wednesday that the vote “is an example of democracy in operation.”

Plans to house migrants at the old garrison “could turn our village upside down,” he said, adding that the referendum was part of a wider frustration with the government’s migration policy.

“Piddington is not just doing it for itself,” McNally said.

“What I’ve learned in this journey is that there are many, many people across his country who are hugely frustated, angry, with the behavior of government and democracy,” he added.

Speaking on behalf of the government, Culture Minister Lisa Nandy told BBC Breakfast that she understood these concerns, but she argued that the issue predates the government’s time in office.

“In my constitutency in Wigan we’ve had real issues with asylum hotels being opened overnight without any notice and people not being consulted,” she said. “It’s caused some serious challenges.”

“I think it’s absolutely right and fair that they express their views and I think it’s absolutely right that the government listens to those views,” Nandy added.

“But we also have to accept that we are pulling every lever at our disposal to clear the asylum backlog that we inherited.”

A final decision on whether to use Bicester Garrison to house migrants has yet to be taken, according to Oxfordshire County Council.

“From the outset, we’ve been clear that any proposal of this scale should be developed in partnership with local communities and public services, with full transparency about the implications for local residents and local infrastructure,” the council said in a statement sent to CNN on Wednesday.

“We recognise that residents in Piddington and surrounding communities have questions about the proposal and its potential impact,” it said, adding: “We will continue to ensure that local concerns and impacts are fully understood and reflected in discussions with government.”

A spokesperson for the UK Home Office told CNN that “the Government is closing every asylum hotel.”

“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,” they added.

“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.”

In 2025, 101,900 people applied for asylum in the UK, the third-highest number ever recorded in a calendar year, according to government figures.

Opposition to the government’s migration policy has become increasingly organized, with two major anti-migration demonstrations on the weekend of September 5-6.

At the first, masked men blocked traffic at the port of Dover, on the south coast of England. The following day, hundreds of balaclava-wearing protesters blocked roads and clashed with police in Portmouth, which is also on the south coast, after a small boat carrying migrants landed nearby.

CNN has contacted Piddington Parish Council and the local member of parliament, Calum Miller, for comment.

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