Piddington villagers challenge PM to visit 'concrete in the middle of nowhere'
Resident says asylum site plans are 'making hotels look like a good idea'
Last updated 16th Sep 2026
A village in Oxfordshire has voted overwhelmingly to become an independent state in a symbolic referendum.
Piddington held the vote in protest at plans that could see it house more than 1,000 asylum seekers.
The result has no legal force, but the strength of the turnout has drawn a response from the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister responds
Asked about the vote, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he understood the "strength of feeling" across the country about migration.
"Well, I understand the strength of feeling, and that's something that is across the country, but the only thing to do is to get the numbers down, the number of crossings down," he said.
"And they are significantly down. They are now at a seven-year low.
"We also made a commitment to people to end the use of hotels to house refugees and asylum seekers, and that commitment needs to be honoured, and I think the vast majority of people say 'yeah, that really does need to need to proceed'.
"So this involves difficult difficult decisions. It's about fairness across 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.
"It's difficult, and obviously I will look at the issues being raised by the community and in the referendum, but we have to ensure that we have a fair plan, as well as getting the numbers down, and the numbers are coming now significantly now."
What villagers say
Local resident Christina said the campaign now wants the Prime Minister to visit Piddington and see the proposed site for himself.
"I just would love for him to walk around himself, go to the site and see that piece of concrete in the middle of nowhere which will take 20,000 litres of diesel a day to power is a terrible idea, and it's making hotels look like a good idea, so that is our next step is getting Andy Burnham here, and I genuinely think he'll come here," she said.
"You know, we have no shops, we have no pubs, but we'll make a really nice cup of tea for him, and hopefully he'll come and he'll make a U-turn, and I don't see why he can't."
She questioned the cost and the detail of the plans.
"If boats are going down, then why spend millions and millions, hundreds of millions of taxpayers' money on a site that the plans don't even make sense?" she said.
"These plans have so many inconsistencies. There's even mention of Piddington's coastline. You can get further away from the coast, right? And they're going to sign off these plans."
Numbers 'at a seven-year low'
Mr Burnham said the number of crossings had fallen significantly and was now at a seven-year low.
He added that the Government's commitment to end the use of hotels to house refugees and asylum seekers needed to be honoured.