Asylum seekers set to move on to Bibby Stockholm barge ‘next week’ after delays
Asylum seekers could be moved on to the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge next week, Sky News understands.
The vessel, which is currently docked in Portland on the coast of Dorset, was supposed to start accepting arrivals last week, but was pushed back.
Sky News reported that the first people would then move on to the barge on Tuesday this week – but that also was held up after last minute meetings were held responding to fire safety concerns.
A government source said the first arrivals could now come “next week”, as the local council in Portland “doesn’t want new services beginning on a Thursday or Friday”.
The source said the delay was because “working practices for port workers have to be signed off for the health and safety executive” – and not because there were “fire safety issues”, as had been reported.
Transport minister Richard Holden told Sky News this morning that the barge was going through its “final checks” but would not confirm if it was safety fears causing the hold up.
However, he added: “It is right that whatever accommodation we provide is safe and secure as well.
“I can’t put a timeline on it… the checks are going to take as long as they are going to take. It is important we get these things right.”
Labour’s shadow justice secretary Steve Reed said the latest delay showed the Conservatives were “failing in absolutely every single way” in dealing with the number of asylum cases coming through the system.
“The hotels are absolutely chock-full of asylum seekers because [the government] are failing to process these cases,” he told Sky News.
“The Rwanda scheme is just never going to work – it’s just a gimmick to grab the headlines rather than deal with the problem. And now we’re seeing the same problem with the barge as well.”
The 222-bedroom Bibby Stockholm will start housing 50 single men initially before housing up to 500 people who are currently staying in hotels.
Protesters in Portland in Dorset after the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge arrived from dry dock in Falmouth, Cornwall
The barge will have 24-hour security and accommodate single men only, who will sleep in bunk beds with between two and six people per en-suite room.
The vessel has attracted a backlash from Tory MPs, including Richard Drax, who represents South Dorset, and Chris Loder, for West Dorset, who has demanded to see safety reports and claimed it is going to house double the amount of people it is designed to hold.
Ben Selby, the assistant general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, criticised what he called “a reckless approach to the safety and well-being of both vulnerable refugees and firefighters” after the fire safety concerns were raised.
“The Home Office has declared that this plan is a cheaper option for housing asylum seekers,” he said.
“This is a damning indictment of the prevailing attitude that saving money is the highest priority, with people’s lives treated as collateral damage.
“Everyone has the right to live in safe accommodation and we back the calls urging these plans are abandoned immediately.”
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What is it like onboard the Bibby Stockholm?
Asked about the fire safety issue today, Rishi Sunak said: “All migrant accommodation has to go through a series of checks and inspections to make sure it complies with regulations.
“That’s what’s happening in this case.
“This is ultimately about fairness. I don’t think it’s fair that British taxpayers are forking out £6m a day to house illegal migrants in hotels.
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“I want to put an end to that – and that’s why we’re passing new laws.”
Mr Sunak said the Illegal Migration Act – which became law late last month – was the “right, fair and compassionate” thing to do.
It will mean that anyone arriving in the UK illegally will be ineligible to claim asylum.
It will also place on the home secretary a duty to remove illegal immigrants to their home country or a safe third country such as Rwanda – a policy that is currently held up in the courts.
Meanwhile, migrants who arrive in the UK illegally will be banned from returning in the future and will also limit the legal routes for appeal against a removal order.
The list of the top holders of US President Donald Trump’s memecoin has been finalized ahead of background checks to apply for a dinner and “VIP tour” with the president on May 22.
In a May 12 X post, the TRUMP memecoin project said it would stop considering additional purchases for a dinner with the president, adding that the top tokenholders had been notified to apply for background checks if they wanted to attend.
According to data provided on the project’s leaderboard, the top 220 wallets held more than 13.7 million tokens as of May 12, worth roughly $174 million at the time of publication.
It’s unclear who, if any, of the wallet holders will choose to apply for and attend the dinner with Trump, or the “exclusive reception” expected to be in the White House for the top 25 holders, on May 22. A May 7 Bloomberg report suggested that the majority of tokenholders were based outside of the United States, leading to potential security concerns and conflicts of interest.
Many US lawmakers and figures in the crypto industry criticized the president for launching the memecoin just days before taking office on Jan. 20. In the wake of his dinner announcement on April 23, the calls for congressional oversight and allegations of corruption have intensified, with one senator calling for Trump’s impeachment and other representatives refusing to consider crypto-related legislation until their concerns were addressed.
Related: FT report suggests advance knowledge of Melania Trump memecoin launch
Companies also apparently seeking influence over Trump’s policies have invested in the memecoin. In April, Freight Technologies said it would invest $20 million in the token, suggesting that it could affect the president’s trade war between the US and Mexico, where the firm conducts some of its business. As of May 12, the company had not announced whether it qualified to send a representative to the dinner.
Not Trump’s first appeal to crypto users
During his 2024 campaign, Trump hosted a dinner with supporters who purchased his “mugshot” non-fungible tokens, which featured a picture of the then-presidential candidate at his surrender to authorities on charges he attempted to overturn the 2020 election.
Many of the “mugshot” attendees publicly shared their identities on social media ahead of and during the event, but at the time of publication, no one appeared to be claiming they would apply for the memecoin dinner. Wallets with the usernames “Sun” and “elon” have led to speculation that Tron founder Justin Sun and Tesla CEO Elon Musk — both Trump supporters who have financial interests tied to Trump’s presidency — could be among the attendees.
Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced partnerships between the city and financial firms as part of his crypto plans.
In a May 12 press conference at Gracie Mansion, the the city’s official mayoral residence, Adams said June Ou, founder of financial services company Figure, and Richie Hecker, CEO of private equity firm Traction and Scale, would be assisting the city in its crypto efforts. He spoke of Ou and Hecker acting as advisers for New York City’s next steps in “economic development and opportunities to serve the public using digital assets.”
“We are focused on the long-term values of these technologies for our city and its people, not chasing memes or trends,” said Adams, adding:
“If you’re in the crypto, blockchain, Web3 or the fintech space, New York City is open for business.”
Adams made digital assets a large part of his policy platform after assuming office in January 2022, when he announced plans to accept his first three paychecks in Bitcoin (BTC). In a 2023 financial disclosure, the mayor reported holding between $5,000 and $54,999.99 worth of Bitcoin, but suggested it was worth more in a December 2024 press conference.
Trump DOJ dismissed the corruption case against Adams
Adams had been facing corruption charges over alleged illegal donations from the Turkish government, but Justice Department officials appointed by US President Donald Trump stepped in and directed local authorities to intervene. The case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be reopened, in April, and Adams traveled to the White House on May 9 to reportedly thank Trump for his “words of support” during his 2024 campaign.
Related: 8 major crypto firms announce US expansion this year
It’s unclear whether Adams’ May 12 announcement was related to his meeting with the president, who has also pushed significant policies related to digital assets since taking office. Cointelegraph reached out to the mayor’s office for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Adams announced in April that the city would be hosting its own crypto summit on May 20.
Magazine: Crypto City: Guide to New York
Politics
Minister does not rule out ‘supermax’ jails for most dangerous offenders following alleged Rudakubana attack on prison officer
“Supermax” jails could be built to house the most dangerous offenders following a spate of alleged attacks on staff, the prisons minister has said.
James Timpson told the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge that “we shouldn’t rule anything out” when asked if the most dangerous criminals should be placed in top security prisons.
It comes after Southport triple killer Axel Rudakubana allegedly threw boiling water from a kettle at an officer at HMP Belmarsh on Thursday. Police are now investigating.
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Is the UK prison system broken?
Before that, three prison officers were also allegedly attacked by 28-year-old Hashem Abedi – the brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi – with hot cooking oil and “improvised knives”, potentially made from a baking tray.
Speaking from HMP Preston for a special programme of the Politics Hub, Mr Timpson told Sophy Ridge: “We inherited a complete mess in the prison system.
“Violence is up, assaults on staff is up. But for me, we shouldn’t rule anything out.”
He added: “What we need to do is to speak to our staff. They’re the experts at dealing with these offenders day in, day out. “
Mr Timpson – who was the chief executive of Timpson Group before he was appointed prisons minister last year – said the violence in prisons was “too high”.
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Are we sending too many people to prison?
He continued: “The number of people when you have prisons are so full, and the people in there are not going to education or into purposeful activity.
“You get more violence and that is totally unacceptable. Our staff turn up to work to help turn people.
“They want to turn people’s lives around. They didn’t turn up to work to get assaulted. It’s totally unacceptable.”
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Reflecting on the crisis facing the UK prison system ahead of the government’s sentencing review, Mr Timpson said a major problem was the high rate of reoffending, saying “80% of offending is reoffending”.
He said people were leaving places like HMP Preston “addicted to drugs, nowhere to live, mental health problems – and that’s why they keep coming back”.
Asked whether every prison had a drugs issue, he replied: “100%.”
“If we want to keep the public safe, we need to do a lot more of the work in here and in the community. But also we need to build more prisons.”
Put to him that making more use of community sentences – thought to be one of the recommendations in the government’s sentencing review – might be considered a “cushy option” compared to a custodial sentence, Mr Timpson said: “There are some people in this prison tonight who would prefer to be in prison than do a community sentence – but that’s not everybody.
“Community sentences need to be tough punishments outside of prison, not just to help them address their offending behaviour, but also the victims need to see punishments being done too and for me, technology has a big part to play in the future.”
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