Piddington’s overwhelming vote to symbolically leave the UK has turned a small Oxfordshire village into a focal point for a wider argument over asylum accommodation, local consent and government policy.

The parish referendum, which has no legal force, returned 285 votes in favour of secession and 26 against from 312 ballots counted. The campaign was prompted by proposals to accommodate up to 1,256 asylum seekers at a nearby former Ministry of Defence site, a number far larger than the village’s population of about 350.¹

For campaigners, the ballot was less a literal bid for statehood than a protest over a decision they say was imposed without meaningful input. Parish council chairman Tim McNally said the action was about “representation” and that residents had received “no input into the proposal.”² Rupert Lowe, who visited Piddington, called residents “decent people” who “deserve so much better.”Rupert Lowe MP (RupertLowe10)³

Those supporting the campaign have chiefly raised concerns about the site’s scale, local roads and perceived safety. A group of 133 women told MPs that their “safety, security and freedoms will be under threat,” while some residents began self-defence classes.⁴ Reform Party figures Suella Braverman and Sarah Pochin said mothers in the village were “terrified,” according to a post shared by Nigel Farage.Nigel Farage (Nigel_Farage)⁵

But the available reporting also records disagreement inside the village. A resident identified as Rachel said she empathised with neighbours’ concerns but believed opposition to the plan involved “overt racism,” and said she had been socially excluded after voicing that view.⁶

The Home Office presents the proposal differently: as part of closing asylum hotels, which it says has saved more than £1 billion since the election. It says former military sites are intended to be self-contained, and that it consults councils and police on safety and security. The department also says no final decision has been made on the Bicester site.⁷