Passport to Piddington? Village votes on leaving UK

In scenes reminiscent of the classic Ealing comedy Passport to Pimlico, an Oxfordshire village has voted to hold a symbolic referendum on leaving the UK.

Piddington, a village of about 400 people near Bicester, elected earlier this month to hold the vote after the government announced plans to house asylum seekers at a nearby Ministry of Defence (MoD) site.

Under new Home Office plans, MoD Bicester could be converted into basic accommodation to house up to 1,250 male asylum having abandoned the same plan in 2005.

In response, a recent Piddington village hall meeting saw 96% of attendees vote in favour of holding a referendum on independence from the UK.

But what, if anything, can the symbolic vote achieve?