Bosses at a Dorset port have insisted it is “business as usual” after agreeing to support controversial Government plans to accommodate hundreds of asylum seekers on a barge.
Portland Port announced last week it would provide berthing space for the vessel, named the Bibby Stockholm, for at least 18 months. The Home Office has confirmed it is looking to house 500 single men on the three-storey, 222-room boat, while their asylum claims are processed. The Government has said the measure is part of its efforts to cut the cost to the taxpayer caused by people attempting to arrive in the UK by crossing the Channel.
It has been estimated that hotel accommodation for asylum seekers currently costs around £6m a day. The plans have drawn criticism from local people, human rights groups, the Tory-led Dorset Council and local Conservative MPs, who have questioned the suitability of the site for housing asylum seekers. South Dorset MP Richard Drax has called on Home Secretary Suella Braverman to scrap the idea.
