Tory MP vows to ‘fight on’ against Dorset asylum barge as vessel is towed towards UK

A Conservative MP has vowed to “fight on” against the use of a barge to house 500 asylum seekers in Dorset, as it is towed to the UK.

The Bibby Stockholm is due to arrive in Cornwall later this week, and will be refitted and undergo checks before being moved to Portland Port.

The Independent understands that asylum seekers are not expected to be moved on board until late June or July, as the Home Office continues a divisive campaign to transfer asylum seekers out of hotels into ships and military bases.

Richard Drax, the Conservative MP for South Dorset, said that legal action was still being considered to stop the government’s plans for what he labelled a “quasi-prison”.

“Legal action has not been ruled out, absolutely not – we're very keen to stop this,” he told The Independent.

“There are rumours of more barges coming, which is not going to make MPs very happy. So at the moment, we fight on.”

MPs in Merseyside have raised alarm about talks between the Home Office and private firm Peel Ports, about the potential mooring of another accommodation ship off Birkenhead, but no concrete plans have been announced.

Data from the Marine Traffic website showed that by Wednesday afternoon, the Bibby Stockholm was passing the north coast of Spain, while being towed by an Italian tug.

Publicly-available voyage information indicated that it left its previous port of Genoa on 19 April and was due to arrive in Falmouth on Saturday.

The Independent previously revealed that asylum seekers will have less living space than an average parking bay on the Bibby Stockholm, which saw at least one person die and reports of rape and abuse on board when it was used by the Dutch government to detain asylum seekers in the 2000s.

An official brochure released by owner Bibby Marine shows there are only 222 “single en-suite bedrooms” on board, meaning that at least two people must be crammed into every cabin for the government to achieve its aim of holding 500 people.

Mr Drax said ministers and the Home Office had so far been “unable to answer” practical questions on how the barge will operate, such as how asylum seekers will be able to come and go safely through the port, what activities they will be provided with and how sufficient healthcare will be ensured.

open image in gallery

“The question is how do we cope?” he said. “Every organisation has its own raft of questions: ‘Where's the money coming from? Who's going to do what if this all happens?’ There are not sufficient answers, which is very worrying.”

The MP fears that disturbances could break out on the barge because restrictions around the port will turn it into “a quasi-prison” and the population could include vulnerable people with mental health issues and trauma.

“We're told it's not a prison and they're free to go, but they will not be free to go when they want to and that's going to cause problems,” Mr Drax warned.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the leader of Dorset Council said it still had “serious reservations about the appropriateness of Portland Port in this scenario and we remain opposed to the proposals”.

Spencer Flower added: “We still have unanswered questions which we are waiting for the Home Office and the barge operator to respond to.”

The Conservative police and crime commissioner for Dorset said he also had “detailed questions that need answering”.

David Sidwick is demanding extra government funding for the local force to “meet the extra policing needs that this project will entail”.

A multi-agency forum including representatives from national, regional and local public sector agencies and the Home Office has been set up to plan for the barge’s arrival and is meeting weekly.

The government has said accommodating asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm and military sites will be a cheaper alternative to hotels, but has not acknowledged a watchdog report accusing the Home Office of driving up “soaring” spending with its own failings.

The use of barges and cruise ships to house asylum seekers was previously ruled out by the Treasury on cost grounds, while Rishi Sunak was chancellor.

Portland Port said it had been working with the Home Office and local agencies to ensure the safe arrival and operation of the Bibby Stockholm, and to minimise its impact locally.

Chief executive Bill Reeves added: “We believe that concerns about crime and antisocial behaviour have proven to be unfounded at accommodation sites elsewhere and there is no reason to expect any different here.”

Responding to concerns raised by Mr Drax in parliament last week, immigration minister Robert Jenrick said migrants would be “strongly encouraged” to return to the vessel by 11pm each night, and that buses would be provided to take them to “agreed places”.

He said there would be “further support” for policing and that Dorset Council would receive at least £3,000 per asylum seeker residing on the vessel per year.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have been clear that the use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable – there are currently more than 51,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £6m a day.

“We have to use alternative accommodation options, as our European neighbours are doing – including the use of barges and ferries to save the British taxpayer money.”