Villages across Britain are begging for a Piddington blueprint as the Oxfordshire village prepares to hold an unprecedented vote on leaving the UK today.
The protest ballot has followed a summer of fury in the village of 350 locals ever since Labour announced its plot to place 1,250 male asylum seekers into nearby converted army barracks.
Piddington residents have spearheaded a ferocious campaign fighting against the plans over fears of safety and security for their loved ones as well as themselves.
Villagers already backed the referendum in a vote back on July 4, American’s Independence Day.
While there is no legal tool to allow a village to become independent in reality, hundreds of other villages across the UK have reached out to the parish council for guidance on how to mimic their fiery fightback.
Chairman of Piddington parish council, Tim McNally, said that plenty of towns scattered across the country have gotten in touch with him for counsel.
“We have been working in the background with other areas who feel the same as us, who feel they have not been represented and been run over roughshod,” he told The Telegraph.
Continuing, he asked: “What has happened to our politics to allow this to happen?
Hundreds have reached out for advice on mimicking the fightback in their local area
|
PA
“When I first published the blueprint, I had over 500 inquiries from across the UK, from parish and town councillors. The aim of our referendum is for them to go and do it themselves.”
Reform UK and the Conservatives have backed Piddington’s campaign opposing the migrant camp, while Nigel Farage has vowed to back any other villages holding votes on leaving the UK over the same matter.
Still, the Government’s proposal to catapult droves of undocumented migrants into the town brimming with furious locals could go ahead if Parliament waves the plan through.
The village has also set out plans to install safety and security alerts, including CCTV cameras, an emergency alert system, as well as security teams patrolling the streets.
MORE ON PIDDINGTON’S FURIOUS FIGHTBACK:
Piddington women plan to take up self-defence classes
|
PA
As a safety precaution, women said they would begin self-defence classes as villagers prepare to be outnumbered by almost four to one.
Women alone, however, would be outnumbered 10 to one by the hundreds of undocumented men.
But this could be exacerbated even further by the latest details, denied by the Home Office, revealing the number of men being housed in the camp could triple.
Earlier this month, the Women of Piddington, a group of female residents opposing the plans, urged MPs not to abandon them in an open letter, seen by GB News.
Speaking to GB News last month, Mr Burnham said he had “begun to become aware” of the campaign from Piddington and pledged to listen to locals’ conerns.
“I don’t know the issue yet in detail, but in some ways, as I understand it, it is about creating a secure space and not having the HMO issues that you were talking about earlier,” he added.
“It’s obviously going to be challenging, but I am prepared always to listen to people, to work with people and to pick up legitimate concerns, and I will address those concerns.”
The Home Office has long sought military sites as alternative accommodation as it pushes to end the use of migrant hotels by 2029.
A Home Office spokesman previously said: “It is categorically untrue to suggest we are seeking to house 3,510 people at the MoD Bicester.
“As our planning application clearly states, we are considering the site to accommodate up to 1,256 asylum seekers.”
About the Author
