An accommodation barge set to house 500 asylum seekers is on the move as Parliament prepares for further arguments over Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman’s plans to “stop the boats”.
Plans to house migrants on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland Port, Dorset, are a month behind schedule but the vessel has finally left Falmouth, Cornwall, where work on it was being carried out to prepare it for its new role.
The barge’s departure from Falmouth on Monday morning came as MPs prepared for a fresh clash with the House of Lords over the Illegal Migration Bill.
Downing Street defended the use of barges to house migrants, insisting it is a cheaper alternative to housing them in hotels.
It came as comedian Dom Joly, dressed as Mickey Mouse and holding a placard saying “stop child detention”, led a Save the Children protest against the Bill outside the Home Office in central London.
The protest followed ministers facing criticism over a decision to paint over murals of Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse and Baloo from The Jungle Book, at a migrant reception centre in Kent.
Members of the Lords want further concessions in the Bill on limits to the detention of children, modern slavery protections and the provision of safe and legal routes for refugees to the UK.
Asked if Rishi Sunak has a message to people in Portland Port opposed to the Bibby Stockholm barge being moored there, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “I think it’s right for the public as a whole that we move away from a situation where £6 million a day of taxpayers’ money is going towards housing these individuals in hotels.
“That’s not a good use of money and obviously that puts unplanned pressure on local areas as well.
“We think it is better to open specific sites designed to house immigrants that come in, done in a more planned way.
“That’s what we are seeking to do with the Bibby Stockholm and that’s what we’re seeking to do in other parts of the country – opening up sites to take the pressure off local areas and to reduce the cost.
“This approach will save taxpayer money compared to the money we’re spending on hotels.”
The Lords inflicted a string of fresh defeats on the Government last week over the much-criticised Bill, which ministers insist is integral to efforts to tackle small boats crossings in the English Channel.
It means the continuation of the parliamentary tussle over the Bill, known as ping-pong, where the legislation is batted between the Lords and Commons, until agreement is reached.
Downing Street indicated ahead of the votes on Monday that it was not expecting to make further concessions.
The Commons had overturned a raft of earlier revisions by the unelected chamber, despite rebellions by Tory MPs – including former prime minister Theresa May – who have concerns about the reforms.
The Bill is part of a package of measures designed to deter migrants from crossing the channel by making it clear that if people enter the UK by irregular means, they will not be able to remain and will face being sent either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda.
The deal to send migrants on a one-way trip to Rwanda has been mired in legal difficulties and will end up in the Supreme Court.
With a backlog of asylum cases in the UK, the Government is also seeking to cut the cost of hotel bills by using alternative accommodation including the Bibby Stockholm and former military bases.
Councils and campaigners have been given the green light to bring a High Court challenge against housing migrants on the disused airfields.
Braintree District Council and a nearby resident are bringing legal action to challenge the use of Wethersfield in Essex to house up to 1,700 men while West Lindsey District Council is challenging similar plans for RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.
Dozens of asylum seekers have already been moved into Wethersfield.
The first asylum seekers are expected to board the Bibby Stockholm later this month.
Home Secretary Ms Braverman had told MPs on June 5 that the vessel would be in Portland within a fortnight, but this deadline was missed.
Dorset Council has been given a £2 million funding package to meet the cost of providing services for the Bibby Stockholm residents.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that Bibby Stockholm is now on its way to Portland Port.
“Using vessels as alternative accommodation, like our European neighbours are already doing, will be better value for British taxpayers and more manageable for communities than costly hotels.
“We continue to work extremely closely with local councils and key partners to prepare for arrival of asylum seekers later this month and minimise disruption for local residents including through substantial financial support.”
Meanwhile, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper declined to commit to ending the much-criticised use of barges and disused military bases to house asylum seekers while a backlog in processing cases is tackled.
Instead, she told reporters after a speech in central London Labour will “rapidly clear” the backlog if it wins power – before reverting to traditional asylum accommodation.
