British villagers turn to Trump with bid to join US as 51st state

Residents of Piddington, a village in England’s Oxfordshire county who voted on September 15 to leave the United Kingdom, have appealed to US President Donald Trump to join his country instead. The villagers’ demand is linked to the British government’s migration policy.

Speaking to Newsweek, Piddington Parish Council Chair Tim McNally said the council would proceed with plans to join the US unless the asylum plan is scrapped, adding: “We know conversations have been had with [President] Trump about this.”

McNally explained that the Piddington Parish Council could seek “the support of the United States to become their 51st state,” adding that the council had written to President Trump and submitted a dossier to the US Embassy outlining its case.

Backing the proposal, Parish Councillor Joe Marshall argued that Trump would be receptive to the idea because of his stance on immigration and the British government’s policies, commenting: “It’s a great idea. [...] Ultimately this is a topic that’s quite high up in his [Trump's] agenda because it covers both military and also the immigration system…I’m sure it’s something he’d happily grant us an opportunity to join or at least be recognized.”

According to The Telegraph, Piddington residents voted on September 15 to leave the United Kingdom in protest against government plans to open an asylum detention centre nearby. The British government had previously announced plans to convert a former army barracks into a facility for asylum seekers who enter the country illegally in inflatable boats across the English Channel. The centre is expected to accommodate around 1,300 people. Residents’ main concern is that the arrival of new neighbours could lead to an increase in crime.

By Jeyhun Aghazada