The most infamous boat in Britain reopens for business next week. From next Thursday, the Bibby Stockholm will once again house people who have fled to this country seeking asylum. The barge was supposed to form part of Rishi Sunak’s solution to the eye-watering costs of accommodating asylum seekers who are waiting for the Home Office to process their applications: stick hundreds of them on a three-storey high floating box moored in Portland harbour, and not only would the hotel bills come down but Mr Sunak could show he was taking action on the record backlog of would-be refugees. It would make a grand photo opportunity, a sign of No 10’s resolve and a boost to Conservative popularity.
Instead, it has been an enormous floating fiasco. After months of challenges from both Dorset residents (including the local Tory MP) and organisations dedicated to securing asylum seekers’ rights, the government finally sent 39 people on to the Bibby Stockholm. Even as they arrived, legionella was confirmed to be already on board. A few days later, all were evacuated. Even if the Home Office manages its “re-embarkation” next Thursday, the barge will have been part-occupied for a grand total of five days and empty for 68, serving only as a giant beached policy failure. Home Office contract documents suggest the Bibby Stockholm costs taxpayers nearly £300,000 a week. So much for cutting bills.
