Piddington’s vote to quit UK over migrant camp ‘speaks for everyone sick of illegal immigrants being foisted on them’

VILLAGERS in Piddington voted to leave Britain in a giant “roar” against migrant camps — only to be instantly snubbed by Andy Burnham. The Prime Minister said he understood the “strength of feeling” in the tiny village but said communities across the country must play their part in housing illegal migrants. Locals celebrate the result of their village’s referundum to leave the UK over plans for a nearby asylum centre Credit: Doug Seeburg Parish council vice chair Susannah Parden, who announced the result Credit: Doug Seeburg Now residents are pinning their hopes on a planning loophole after a local spotted that the Home Office failed to acknowledge evidence of Great crested newts in its wildlife survey of the site. It comes after the Oxfordshire village overwhelmingly backed breaking away from the UK in its extraordinary symbolic referendum. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! A whopping 285 villagers voted for “independence”, with just 26 against and one spoiled ballot on a turnout of almost 92 per cent. Parish council vice chair Susannah Parden, who announced the result, said: “We are Piddington — the village that roars.” A couple of miles away from Bicester in Oxfordshire and home to just 350 ­people, tiny Piddington voted to leave the UK over a plan to house 1,250 illegal migrants in a former military base nearby. If those plans go ahead, male asylum migrants will outnumber women in Piddington by 10-1. The result was announced just after 7am. But the Prime Minister dismissed their concerns, saying: “It’s about fairness across the country. I’m not saying that only one part of the country or one group of communities should do all of the work.” Most read in The Sun A car carries the village’s altered name after the result Credit: Doug Seeburg A whopping 285 villagers voted for ‘independence’ Credit: Doug Seeburg And Cabinet minister Lisa Nandy said working-class communities like hers had previously taken the brunt of asylum accommodation. The former Bicester Garrison has been selected as part of Labour’s wider scheme to convert former military bases into migrant housing. The Home Office planning application is yet to be approved amid an ongoing public consultation. But if it is passed, 1,250 male illegal migrants would be free to roam Piddington and nearby villages — but not to work. Parish council chair Tim McNally said: “I just want to say something to Andy Burnham, the Speaker of the House of Lords, Speaker of the Commons, Kemi Badenoch and all the shadow oppositions — this is an example of democracy in operation.” Mr McNally said that around 500 councillors and members of the public from across the country have contacted the parish council for advice about the issue. As a result of the symbolic ­result “Principality of Piddington” signs have been put up across the village. Parish councillor Joe Marshall suggested the village could end up electing leaders for the new “principality” and issuing ID cards if the Government doesn’t engage with their concerns. A blank ballot paper in Piddington, Oxfordshire, where residents held a referendum Credit: PA PM Andy Burnham has said communities across the country must play their part in housing illegal migrants Credit: AP He said: “The renaming of the village is just one of the things. “We’ll probably go through and elect some leaders to really hammer it home.” In another bid to halt the plans, campaigners said they had unearthed records showing a plethora of protected wildlife next to the camp’s proposed site. The Home Office’s ecological assessment — as part of its planning application— showed no evidence of protected newts, bats or reptiles on the site. Now the errors will form the basis of a High Court challenge to the plans launched last night. Claire Brenner, who has a zoology degree and lives in the village, uncovered the new evidence. She said: “If the Secretary of State determines this application with this materially incomplete information, that’s open to legal challenge. “If they proceed to work on the site without a licence, then potentially it’s a wildlife crime.” The Home Office last night denied the claims and insisted the camp would still go ahead. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the vote should be a “wake-up call” for Labour. He said: “Piddington’s villagers have spoken not just for themselves but for the whole country. “People are sick of illegal immigrants being foisted on them — whether accommodated in hotels, flats, or military sites.” He said young men who came in boats across the Channel had a tendency to “commit rape and sexual assault against women and girls as young as just 12.” Streetlights are switched off in the village in the evening, meaning many residents will have to walk around in the dark while more than a thousand illegal migrants are housed on the sprawling former garrison, yards from the village’s Jubilee Reserve community park. Local mums told the Sun they would be too frightened to take their children to the park if the men move in. Up to 20 women have already signed up to self-defence classes. Illegal migrants making their way to Britain on boats is down 41 per cent compared to last year — but arrivals in 2026 are still close to hitting a staggering 18,000. Comment now