First migrants could board barge off Dorset today despite over-crowding fears

07 August 2023 , 07:32

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First migrants could board barge off Dorset today despite over-crowding fears

The first migrants are reportedly due to board the Bibby Stockholm barge today after weeks of delays.

Around 50 people are expected to be in the first group of migrants to board the vessel docked in Portland Port, Dorset, despite local opposition. Ministers want up to 500 asylum seekers to be housed on the vessel - despite concerns from the Fire Brigades Union over the barge designed to house about 200.

Asked whether asylum seekers could arrive on Bibby Stockholm on Monday, Home Office Minister Sarah Dines said: "We're hopeful soon, in coming days. You will understand, for operational reasons, I'm not going to confirm that. But we're hoping in coming days that it will be imminent."

The 305ft vessel Bibby Stockholm arrived in Cornish waters in May for checks and refurbishment. The 1970s-built, 10,659-ton vessel with 222 cabins was towed to the Isle of Portland, Dorset, last month but plans to move migrants onto the barge have been delayed amid safety fears.

Home Office Minister Sarah Dines (Gareth Butterfield)

Shadow Immigration Minister Stephen Kinnock has confirmed Labour would house migrants on barges for a "very short" period while a backlog of asylum bids is tackled. Asked if Labour supports the use of the barge, Shadow International Trade Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds told the BBC: "We do not wish to run and will not run an asylum system that requires the use of bases, barges or indeed of hotels, those are being used as additional accommodation because of the failure of the Conservatives to run our asylum system properly over many years."

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Migrants could be housed on the vessel from today (Getty Images)

He added: “I am in favour of there being safe and secure accommodation. Now there have been some concerns raised by fire experts over this barge that it's important that the Home Office address, I'm obviously not close enough to those conversations, I can't individually say whether that safety standard has been met in every single case."

Asked if he objects to the barge being used if safety standards have been met, he said: "Government has to place people in safe accommodation, that's clear. In terms of where Labour would be, we're not in Government today, much as I would like us to be. Our position is we would get that backlog down.

“With respect, I'm not in Government today sitting there around that cabinet table to be able to say individually which particular parts of this extra accommodation government failure is necessitating is safe or unsafe, there have been concerns raised which the Home Office has to address."

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Ben Glaze