Tiny Oxfordshire village Piddington votes to leave the UK in protest at plans to house migrants nearby

An Oxfordshire village has “voted” to become independent from the UK in protest at the government’s plans to house asylum seekers at a nearby former military base.

The proposal, which would mean 1,256 people would move into the base near Piddington, has sparked anger among many village residents.

Residents cast their ballots in the symbolic and unofficial referendum on Tuesday.

They voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence from the UK.

Some 285 villagers backed “independence”, with a turnout of nearly 92 per cent.

Only 26 residents voted against the motion, with one spoiled ballot recorded.

The result was announced by a returning officer to an audience of dozens of journalists and residents gathered outside the village hall on Wednesday morning.

Their ballots on Tuesday were returned into a small box outside the village hall, the community hub of the village of 350 people which does not have any pubs, cafes or shops.

On 4 July, marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, 96 per cent of Piddington voters backed holding an unofficial independence referendum, which will take place on Tuesday.

The government wants to use the Urgent Crown Development Process, which would allow home secretary Shabana Mahmood to bypass local planning authorities.

Senior minister Jonathan Reynolds acknowledged “none of this is pleasant” but the disused military site was more suitable than housing asylum seekers in hotels.

There was “no imaginary place these people can go”, he said on Tuesday, the day of the vote.

He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Where in the UK would want more of this? We’ve got to share this throughout the entire nation.”

Mr Reynolds said “I think a former military site is a far more suitable location” than a hotel in a town or city centre.

While the asylum seekers are not detained, “you can more easily see who’s coming and going from a site like that”.

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