A tiny English village has declared symbolic independence from the United Kingdom after the Labour government announced plans to place 1,250 single male asylum seekers at a former military base bordering the community.
Todayville reports that residents of Piddington, Oxfordshire, approved the declaration in a 185-7 vote on July 4, with roughly 96 per cent backing the revolt.
The village has only a few hundred residents and about 150 homes, meaning the migrant population planned for the neighbouring base would be more than four times larger than Paddington itself.
The Home Office announced June 26 that nearly 4,000 migrants would be moved into three former military facilities as Labour attempts to end the costly and deeply unpopular use of hotels for asylum housing.
Around 1,250 men between the ages of 18 and 65 are expected to be sent to the Ministry of Defence Bicester site, which is situated directly beside Piddington. The government plans to operate the camp for at least 10 years.
However, residents say they were given no meaningful warning or opportunity to weigh in before the plan was announced.
Although officials refer to the site as “MOD Bicester,” the town of Bicester is approximately seven miles away. Piddington Parish Council Chairman Tim McNally accused the government of using the name to conceal which community would actually bear the consequences.
The military site’s fence reportedly runs alongside local homes and borders a playground built for village children and families. Piddington has no police force of its own because the quiet rural community has historically experienced little crime.
That sense of security has now been replaced by fear over what will happen when more than 1,200 adult men are placed next door.
“I’ve had men – grown men – crying to me because they’ve got young daughters,” McNally said. One father with an 18-year-old daughter told him, “I will not let her go out, I will not let her leave the house alone.”
The Home Office claims migrants will undergo mandatory checks using biometric information and criminal databases. McNally questioned how reliable those screenings can be when many arrivals lack documentation, and British officials may have limited access to records from their home countries.
Residents also fear the camp will devalue property values and leave families unable to sell their homes without devastating losses.
McNally said the idea of declaring independence came after he passed a roadside sign reading, “Jeremy Clarkson for King.” With July 4 approaching, he decided a symbolic break from Britain could embarrass the government and draw attention to the village’s fight.
Although the declaration has no legal force, residents hope to deliver the referendum to the US Embassy in London in an appeal to America’s own history of independence from Britain.
