The Oxfordshire village has made their feelings about the government’s plans to house migrants nearby clear.
Alex Armstrong and Ellie Costello halted GB News for a breaking update (Image: GB News)
GB News Breakfast interrupted their usual programming to cut live to Piddington. The tiny Oxfordshire village is at the centre of a row over plans to house migrants in the area and the residents have now issued the results of a “referendum” to leave the UK. In a breaking news announcement Alex Armstrong and Ellie Costello went live to the small village as the results came in. It comes as the government announced plans to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at a Ministry of Defence site between Piddington and Upper and Lower Arncott.
Sharing footage from the scene of the count, Susannah Parden, the vice chair of the Piddington Parish Council announced the results. “I have the privilege today of being the returning officer for this historic vote that this village held yesterday on the 15th of September 2026. And the question was, do you support Piddington to secede from the UK and pursue self-determination? I am pleased to announce that last night, following our village meeting, the votes were counted and verified.
“We had 312 votes counted, which is nearly 92 per cent of the ballot papers issued, and the results are as follows: We had 285 yes votes. We had 26 no votes, and we had one ballot paper that was spoiled and will not be included in this count,” she revealed.
As the crowd cheered she handed proceedings over to council chair Tim McNally who gave a lengthy speech.
“Yesterday was the anniversary of the Battle of Britain, and for us, it was the Battle for Britain. We’ve been identified as ground zero for a whole number of issues.
“I just want to say something to Andy Burnham, the Prime Minister of this great, great country that we’re in, the Speaker of the House of Lords, Speaker of the Commons, Kemi Badenoch, who is the leader of the opposition and all shadow oppositions. This is an example of democracy in operation.
Susannah Parden from Piddington Parish Council announced the results of the village’s referendum (Image: GB News)
“This is an example of a mandate of behaviour. What we have done, I didn’t realise what I was opening up and getting involved in. I just thought we were going to be opposing a plan, a plan that would have an impact on our village, that could turn our village upside down in a way not quite in village before.
“Piddington has been part of the Doomsday Book, it’s had democracy in its blood since 1400s, where it was actually the first parish to actually be able to appoint its own minister, and had that privilege until the 20th century.
“But on the 3rd of July, when we started this process, we went into this village hall as what we call the underdogs, not knowing how we were going to go forward and actually fight against this plan.
“We had a plucky idea. We had an idea that we would grow as people. And what I consider as definition of done is this. This is definition of done. We have given an absolute message, not just to the region, not just to the country, but to the world,” he said.