A rural community in Suffolk has become the latest focal point of where to put thousands of migrants crossing the Channel on small boats – vowing to following Piddington and hold a vote to leave the UK.
On Saturday, Barnham residents voted 73 to seven in favour of holding a symbolic referendum over Government plans to house hundreds of asylum seekers at an ex-RAF site in the village.
It follows residents in Piddington, Oxfordshire, voting to leave the UK in September over plans to house male asylum seekers at the nearby MoD Bicester.
How rare cancer behaves differently depending on location
Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have found that a rare, aggressive cancer, commonly occurring in the uterus, abdomen and limbs, behaves differently depending on where it is found in the body.
What you need to know
- Leiomyosarcoma is the most common subtype of soft tissue sarcoma.
- It affects smooth muscle cells, also known as involuntary muscles, which are found in the walls of hollow organs.
- Around 600 cases of leiomyosarcoma are diagnosed each year in the UK.
- Scientists studied more than 11,700 patients with the condition.
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The findings of the study
Researchers found that leiomyosarcomas of the uterus, urinary tract and trunk had the poorest survival rates, compared with cancers of the head and neck, limbs, and male reproductive tract.
There are also significantly poorer outcomes for Black patients, widowed patients and those from lower-income households.
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Why is this important?
This study shows why our investment into rare cancers is key. It highlights how research can uncover critical differences between tumours which is vital for developing more effective, personalised treatments for patients.
Dr Catherine Elliott, Cancer Research UK’s director of research
Why demand to see tribute acts is on the rise
Venues say they are putting on more events to cater to a growing cohort of people who want a more affordable night out, as fans are priced out of seeing big artists perform live.
Cost of living hits music fans
Around a fifth of UK adults have attended a tribute act show in the past 12 months, a survey by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) found.
More than two-thirds agreed that seeing major acts live has become too expensive.
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Harder, better, faster, cheaper
The soaring prices of tickets to attend live concerts has come under scrutiny following world tours for big artists like Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and Beyonce in recent years.
Instead, audiences are increasingly turning to tribute acts such as Arctic Numpties, Noasis, Fleetwood Bac, Daft Funk and Pitbull to hear the back catalogues of their favourite artists.
Paying tribute for less
Dan Ickowitz-Seidler, the director of Propaganda Venues, said the group is booking more tribute shows in response to a “real increase” in demand.
“People want an affordable night out where they can see a quality band, hear songs they love and have a great evening with friends,” he said.
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What young people want out of the Budget
The priorities of those under 40 reflect the pressures facing a generation trying to get ahead.
We speak to three young people in their twenties and thirties about what they want to see announced on 28 October.
The ‘broken’ student loan system
Researcher Toby Whelton, 24, said: “Retroactive changes to loan terms, made long after I graduated, will cost me tens of thousands more over my lifetime.”
Whelton wants to see the government reduce the repayment rate to 5 per cent as he thinks the current rate of 9 per cent is “simply too high”.
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‘I want to see income tax thresholds rise’
- Dan Johnson, from Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, wants to see an end to the freezing of income tax thresholds in the UK.
Currently, the income tax personal allowance remains frozen at £12,570, and the higher-rate threshold remains frozen at £50,270.- These aren’t due to be unfrozen until 2031.
The 35-year-old said: “This is a stealth tax that’s brought millions of middle earners into the 40 per cent tax band. It’s a disincentive to earning more and taking on more responsibility.”
‘Energy costs are a worry’
Taylor Cooper, 31, wants more support with everyday costs for working households.
“The Chancellor could help by introducing targeted support to reduce energy bills, taking steps to bring mortgage costs down and making sure working households keep more of what they earn,” she said.
Cooper would love to see a postponement of any planned increase in fuel duty as petrol prices have soared in recent months.
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Flags and banners outside RAF Barnham, where The i Paper visited in September, convey the strength of local feeling.
“No illegals now or ever” reads one. “Stop the boats. Stop the problem” and “Unvetted foreign men: we are afraid to walk our streets at night” on others outside the site.
‘Decisive’ vote shows ‘strength of feeling’
The Home Office originally earmarked RAF Barnham to house 1,250 asylum seekers, expected to be mostly men, but has reduced the proposed figure to 930.
However, this would still double the size of the local population of around 600.
The chair of Barnham Parish Council, John Bauer, told the BBC: “Residents voted decisively in favour of holding a referendum as a means to demonstrate the strength of feeling in the village at the Government’s failure to consult anyone about a matter which will change the nature of the village.
“This democratic action stands in dramatic contrast to the high-handed approach the Government is taking.”
The Home Office has submitted an Urgent Crown Development application to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for the use of RAF Barnham as migrant housing.
These are applications for proposed developments that the Government considers of national importance, and they override local planning laws.
‘You don’t know their history’
When The i Paper visited Barnham, Toby Lucken, 29, said he would have “no issue” with the ex-RAF site being used to house asylum seekers if the Government “did a good job”.
He described the disturbances in Thetford last month as “disgusting”.
“I just thought it was awful. It’s horrible. They are treating people like they’re not people,” he added.
“If they’ve got the issue they should be taking it to the people in charge, not individuals. They’re terrorising individual people.”
But John Smith, 74, is vehemently opposed to the base being used as asylum accommodation, citing theft as one concern.
“Most of them are illegal immigrants. They’ll be wandering all over the place,” he said.
One local dog walker, 29, said she would be worried about going out on her own at night and said the plan has “frightened a lot of people”.
“It’s the fact you don’t know their history. That’s the scary part. There’s no documentation. There’s nothing to prove if they’ve had any previous records,” she said.
The Government has committed to ending the use of asylum hotels during the current Parliament, with the numbers in use down from 213 in July 2024 to fewer than 160, and is now looking to expand the use of ex-military bases.
If given the green light, RAF Barnham would be used for at least 10 years, as part of plans to house 3,750 asylum seekers across three new military sites. The other two are MoD Bicester in Oxfordshire, and MoD Linton-On-Ouse in North Yorkshire.
The Goverment is also looking to extend the use of two existing camps at Crowborough in Sussex until 2030 and RAF Wethersfield in Essex beyond 2027.
Local tensions
In a gazebo at a makeshift protest base outside the military site in September is Clinton Warner, 37, who lives and runs a used car business opposite.
“There is a general concern that you’re taking potentially 1,300 people, and you’re going to put them there. You have no control of them. You’re going to allow them to wander around local towns,” he told The i Paper.
“You have Mildenhall, Lakeneath air bases, with all of their personnel either situated in houses around them. It is a security threat.”
As he talks, cars honk their horns in support. Since June, there have been weekly peaceful protests outside RAF Barnham against the plan.
But Warner feels the protesters have been unfairly depicted in the media, and describes how one person who called for all foreigners to be sent home “has not been given a warm welcome” since.
Barnham is a couple of miles from the Norfolk town of Thetford, the scene of violent disorder in August, which saw anti-migrant crowds target homes thought to be housing asylum seekers.
Occupants were forced to flee, with two police officers injured and 19 arrests made during three nights of disturbances.
One local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, watched the disturbances outside her home until about 2am and said the men forced to leave the house “were never any problem”.
She added that she didn’t have a problem with asylum seekers, but as a council taxpayer in neighbouring Norfolk, she is “not happy” of the potential cost to Thetford of housing migrants in Barnham.
Most of those arriving on boats are economic migrants, she believes.
“And if you were in their position in their country, what would you do? You would do the same. You wouldn’t send your family. You send your eldest lad who’s workable and send money back,” she said.
However, Wayne Berry, 50, who lives on the same road, branded the RAF Barnham plan “disgusting”: “Undocumented men, turning up, and so close to town. I wouldn’t be happy about it.”
West Suffolk Council leader Cliff Waterman, a Labour councillor who heads a coalition administration, has previously written to ministers stating the development at RAF Barnham would violate regulations protecting endangered birds nesting near the site.
“We are confident that we can stop it, or it must be stopped, because of the law. And this law is above planning law,” he said.
“So before you can even consider a planning application, you have to be clear that you’ve passed the test of this law, which we are confident would not be possible.”
Scott Hussey, a Reform councillor at Norfolk County Council, said at a recent meeting that Home Office officials refused to offer a guaranteed cap on the numbers of migrants to be accommodated at the camp at any one time.
“These undocumented men will be free to come and go from the camp as they please and this is what worries many people in the village of Barnham and the nearby town of Thetford. They are understandably angry and fearful,” he said.
“Any significant development – an announcement from the Home Office that the camp has been approved for use, or the start of arrivals – is going to be a huge potential flashpoint.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The concerns of communities are central to our immigration reforms. That is why we are closing every asylum hotel and moving asylum seekers into alternative accommodation, including former military sites.
“We are working to fairly house asylum seekers across the country, engaging with local authorities to reduce the impact on communities.”
The former military sites are “designed to be self-contained, with 24/7 security and CCTV, to reduce the impact on local communities”, they added.