Piddington Residents Protest Migrant Housing Plans in Parliament

A group of women from the village of Piddington traveled to Parliament to protest government plans to house 1,256 male asylum seekers at a former Ministry of Defence site in Bicester. The village of Piddington, with approximately 400 residents, is located near the proposed site.

During a debate in the House of Commons, Conservative shadow minister Joy Morrissey highlighted the presence of the Piddington women in the gallery. She criticized the Labour government, stating that the opposition had not engaged with the villagers' concerns. Morrissey urged MPs to support the Conservative motion to protect local communities from what she described as "illegal migrant men," alleging that some had committed "horrific crimes" and should have been deported.

Liberal Democrat MP Calum Miller, whose constituency includes Piddington and the MoD Bicester site, also spoke out against the proposal. He described the site as unsuitable for housing migrants, stating it was "wrong for local communities," "wrong for asylum seekers," and "wrong for the taxpayer." Miller acknowledged the residents' fears regarding the safety of women and girls, attributing these concerns to broader societal failures in protecting them from predatory behavior.

Home Office minister Anna Turley stated that while the current method of housing asylum seekers has been problematic, no final decision has been made regarding the Piddington site. She acknowledged the "incredibly imaginative and very forceful" campaign by the Piddington campaigners. Louise Brooker, a Piddington resident, expressed fears for the safety of her family and claimed to speak for women across the UK, criticizing the government's control over immigration and its impact on community safety.

Last month, Piddington residents voted in a symbolic referendum to leave the UK in protest against the Home Office's plans. The Conservative motion, which also called for the UK to withdraw from European human rights laws to facilitate deportations, was defeated in the House of Commons by a vote of 309 to 113.