English village votes to leave the U.K. over migrant housing plan

LONDON — A tiny English village has voted to leave the United Kingdom as a symbolic protest against government plans to house up to 1,200 migrants seeking asylum on a nearby military base.

Residents of Piddington, which has a population of about 350, voted overwhelmingly for secession in the non-binding referendum. The results announced on Wednesday showed 285 votes in favor of breaking away, with 26 villagers voting against.

“We have given an absolute message, not just to the region, not just to the country, but to the world,” said the parish chairman, Tim McNally. He said the district will henceforth be known as “the Principality of Piddington.”

The attention-grabbing vote was called to oppose plans to turn the former Ministry of Defense Bicester base — which is about half a mile from the village — into housing for male migrants. The government says the site is “designed to be largely self-sufficient to minimize any impact on the local community.”

Residents in the Oxfordshire village have raised fears about safety, crime and the effect on house prices in the affluent area, 50 miles northwest of London.

Supporters called the declaration of independence a victory for people power and local democracy.

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world