A controversial barge that is set to accommodate 500 asylum seekers has arrived in Dorset.
The Bibby Stockholm departed Falmouth in Cornwall on Monday – one month behind schedule.
It was pulled by a tugboat into Portland Port on Tuesday morning.
The vessel’s arrival in Dorset – which has been opposed by the local MP and residents – came hours after the government’s Illegal Migration Bill passed the Lords.
The first asylum seekers are expected to board the Bibby Stockholm later this month.
Downing Street has defended the use of barges to house migrants – insisting it is a cheaper alternative to accommodating them in hotels.
Rishi Sunak‘s official spokesman told reporters: “I think it’s right for the public as a whole that we move away from a situation where £6m a day of taxpayers’ money is going towards housing these individuals in hotels.
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“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.
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“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.”
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Barge to house asylum seekers arrives in UK
A Home Office spokesperson said using vessels as accommodation will be “better value” for 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,” they added.
During debate over the Illegal Migration Bill, Home Office minister Lord Murray of Blidworth said the UK’s asylum system was “overwhelmed” by small boat arrivals.
He told peers: “With over 45,000 people making dangerous Channel crossings last year this is simply no longer sustainable.
“If people know there is no way for them to stay in the UK, they won’t risk their lives and pay criminals thousands of pounds to arrive here illegally.
“It is therefore only right that we stop the boats and break the business model of the criminal gangs exploiting vulnerable people, ultimately enabling the government to have greater capacity to provide a safe haven for those at risk of war and persecution.”
Bill could cause ‘unimaginable harm and trauma’ to children
Ms Powell told Sky News’ Kay Burley on Tuesday morning that the use of barges showed the government’s plans were not working.
“These barges…are a sign of failure that the backlogs continue, that we need more and more capacity in hotels, in barges and elsewhere to deal with people who are waiting for decisions, because that’s just not happening.”
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Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper branded the Illegal Migration Bill a “con”, insisting it will “only make the Tories asylum chaos worse”.
“It fails to tackle the criminal smuggler gangs and makes it easier for traffickers,” she said.
“And it cancels asylum decision making with no return agreements in place so it will just increase the asylum backlog with even more people in costly hotels.
“The asylum backlog is a record high, the number of people in hotels is still increasing, the Rwanda plan is unravelling and June boat crossings were higher than last year. Just like last year’s Tory immigration bill, this new law is set to make things worse.”
Protests over barge arrival
Protesters gathered for the arrival of the Bibby Stockholm – with some residents raising concerns about Portland Port being used to house asylum seekers.
Image: Rival protesters argue in Portland in Dorset
Some held banners saying “Refugees welcome” and “No floating prisons”.
Others said “No to the barge”.
The government is also planning to use disused airfields to house asylum migrants – but faces a High Court challenge from councillors and campaigners.
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.
Dozens of asylum seekers have already been moved into the site.
West Lindsey District Council is also challenging similar plans for RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.
The Israeli embassy has said it’s “deeply disturbed” by chants of “death to the IDF” at Glastonbury – as police also investigate the incident.
Video shows one of the members of Bob Vylan shouting the slogan into the mic and some of the crowd joining in.
The duo were performing ahead of a performance by Kneecap, the Irish act who the prime minister said should be ditched from the line-up.
“The Embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom is deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival,” a statement said.
It said slogans like Saturday’s chant “advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel”.
Image: The BBC said some of the comments by Bob Vylan were ‘deeply offensive’. Pic: PA
The post on X added: “When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence.”
Avon and Somerset Police said they are looking at whether a criminal offence was committed.
“Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation,” the force said in a post on social media.
Bob Vylan also performed in front of a screen quoting a claim that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to BBC boss Tim Davie for an “urgent explanation” about what due diligence it carried out into Bob Vylan.
Image: Thousands watched the set on the West Holts stage. Pic: PA
A spokesman said the government strongly condemned the “threatening comments” by the group, whose X bio describes them as a “punk/rap/alt thing”.
A BBC statement said: “Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan’s set were deeply offensive.
“During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language.
“We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch re-posted a clip of the incident and called it “grotesque”.
“Violence against Jews isn’t edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked,” she said on X.
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A statement from Glastonbury Festival said it “does not condone hate speech or incitement to violence of any kind from its performers”.
Image: Kneecap also performed – with the BBC not showing them live. Pic: Reuters
Irish group Kneecap followed Bob Vylan – with the broadcaster not carrying their performance live amid concern over what they might do or say.
However, it’s understood their show will be made available on demand after a review.
One of its members, Liam Og O hAnnaidh, was charged with a terror offence in May after being accused of displaying a flag in support of proscribed terror group Hezbollah at a gig.
Image: Pic: Reuters
Image: There were Palestinian flags among the crowd for Kneecap’s show. Pic: Reuters
Bandmate Naoise O Caireallain told the packed Glastonbury crowd they should “start a riot outside the courts”, before clarifying: “No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine.”
O hAnnaidh – also known as Mo Chara – wore a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf for Saturday’s set and told fans he was a “free man”.
One girl has died and another is in a critical condition after a tree partially collapsed at a park in Essex.
The girls, aged seven and six, suffered serious injuries when they were among a number of children caught beneath the tree at Chalkwell Park in Southend.
Essex Police confirmed the seven-year-old girl died in hospital and her family is receiving support from specialist officers.
Three other children suffered minor injuries following the incident.
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 2.55pm to reports that a tree had fallen in Chalkwell Park in Chalkwell.
“Six ambulances, three ambulance officer vehicles, the London Air Ambulance and Kent Air Ambulance were sent to the scene.”
Police said an investigation is continuing into what caused the tree to collapse.
‘Unimaginable hardship’ for families
Chief Superintendent Leighton Hammett said: “Families are facing unimaginable hardship this evening and all of our thoughts are with them at this time.
“I cannot begin to put into words how difficult today’s events have been, and continue to be, for them.
“It’s also not lost on me how traumatic it must have been for the members of the public who witnessed this awful incident.
“Across a matter of moments, many of them went from enjoying the warm summer weather to rushing to the aid of strangers without a second thought.”
Chief Sup Hammett also paid tribute to police, ambulance and fire crews who “did all they could,” adding that “today’s loss is one they will all take personally”.
Death is ‘truly devastating’
Local MP David Burton-Sampson said: “The news of the sad death of one of the children involved in the incident at Chalkwell Park today is truly devastating.
“I am sure I reflect the thoughts of all our residents here in Southend in sending my deepest condolences to the child’s family and friends.
“My thoughts are also with the other children injured and I wish them a full and speedy recovery.
NHS funding could be linked to patient feedback under new plans, with poorly performing services that “don’t listen” penalised with less money.
As part of the “10 Year Health Plan” to be unveiled next week, a new scheme will be trialled that will see patients asked to rate the service they received – and if they feel it should get a funding boost or not.
It will be introduced first for services that have a track record of very poor performance and where there is evidence of patients “not being listened to”, the government said.
This will create a “powerful incentive for services to listen to feedback and improve patients’ experience”, it added.
Sky News understands that it will not mean bonuses or pay increases for the best performing staff.
NHS payment mechanisms will also be reformed to reward services that keep patients out of hospital as part of a new ‘Year of Care Payments’ initiative and the government’s wider plan for change.
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Speaking to The Times, chief executive of the NHS Confederation Matthew Taylor expressed concerns about the trial.
He told the newspaper: “Patient experience is determined by far more than their individual interaction with the clinician and so, unless this is very carefully designed and evaluated, there is a risk that providers could be penalised for more systemic issues, such as constraints around staffing or estates, that are beyond their immediate control to fix.”
He said that NHS leaders would be keen to “understand more about the proposal”, because elements were “concerning”.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “We will reward great patient care, so patient experience and clinical excellence are met with extra cash. These reforms are key to keeping people healthy and out of hospital, and to making the NHS sustainable for the long-term as part of the Plan for Change.”
In the raft of announcements in the 10 Year Health Plan, the government has said 201 bodies responsible for overseeing and running parts of the NHS in England – known as quangos – will be scrapped.
These include Healthwatch England, set up in 2012 to speak out on behalf of NHS and social care patients, the National Guardian’s Office, created in 2015 to support NHS whistleblowers, and the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB).
The head of the Royal College of Nursing described the move as “so unsafe for patients right now”.
Professor Nicola Ranger said: “Today, in hospitals across the NHS, we know one nurse can be left caring for 10, 15 or more patients at a time. It’s not safe. It’s not effective. And it’s not acceptable.
“For these proposed changes to be effective, government must take ownership of the real issue, the staffing crisis on our wards, and not just shuffle people into new roles. Protecting patients has to be the priority and not just a drive for efficiency.”
Elsewhere, the new head of NHS England Sir Jim Mackey said key parts of the NHS appear “built to keep the public away because it’s an inconvenience”.
“We’ve made it really hard, and we’ve probably all been on the end of it,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
“The ward clerk only works nine to five, or they’re busy doing other stuff; the GP practice scrambles every morning.”