Ministers are right to acknowledge that our asylum system is not working as it should. They say that they understand the concerns of the people of Piddington, the Oxfordshire village that held a referendum to declare independence as a protest against the housing of asylum seekers in a former garrison nearby.
But Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, said that, while the government is “listening” to the villagers, ministers are “not going to change our plans”. She said it was unfair that asylum seekers have mainly been housed in poor areas until now, and that “we are all going to have to do our bit”.
