Asylum seekers reboard Bibby Stockholm after Legionella evacuation

Published

11 months ago

October 19, 2023

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Asylum seekers have reboarded the Bibby Stockholm barge after they were evacuated when Legionella bacteria was discovered two months ago.

The vessel – docked at Portland Port in Dorset – is part of the government’s plans to deal with illegal migration into the UK. The Home Office says using the ship – with a capacity of more than 500 – is cheaper than using hotels to house people.

When the Bibby Stockholm was evacuated, it was reported that 39 people had been staying on it. That number is now understood to be 21 after the activity today.

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At least one coach carrying people arrived at the port complex today, and people carrying suitcases and other bags were seen boarding the ship.

The arrival was met with a small number of protesters, who said the nautical detention was “inhumane” and “like a prison”.

Members of the climate protest group Just Stop Oil also tried to prevent the coach from reaching Bibby Stockholm, with a post on social media showing the group holding orange banners as the vehicle kept driving.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said “two men were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. A further report was received of criminal damage to a police vehicle and a third man was also arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.”

Some people helped produce “welcome bags” for the arrivals which included shampoo, toothpaste, notebooks and a map of the local area.

It is expected that people will be housed on the Bibby Stockholm for around six to nine months, and it has been berthed there for a period of 18 months. Those who refuse to board the boat risk losing their support from the Home Office.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “From today, we are beginning to move people back on to the Bibby Stockholm in Portland. All necessary tests including health, fire and water checks have been completed, and are all satisfactory.

“The number of people on board will increase gradually with more arrivals in the coming days and months, as part of a carefully structured, phased approach. 

“This is part of the government’s pledge to reduce the use of expensive hotels and bring forward alternative accommodation options which provide a more cost-effective, sustainable and manageable system for the UK taxpayer and local communities.”

They added that everyone being moved onto the barge would get five days’ notice and would get assessed against suitability criteria while also being checked against police and immigration databases. Fingerprints and identities would be taken down as well.

A full system cleanse of the plumbing has been completed, and the vessel had been given the all clear for Legionella bacteria.

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Since the introduction of the government’s Illegal Migration Act, those who arrive in the UK illegally are unable to claim asylum and instead face being deported to countries like Rwanda to have their asylum claims heard.

This hinges on the legality of the Rwanda scheme, which is being decided by the Supreme Court.

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Politics

Trump buys burgers with BTC, Arthur Hayes skeptical on rate cut, and more: Hodler’s Digest, Sept. 15 – 21

Published

3 hours ago

September 22, 2024

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Trump buys burgers with BTC, Arthur Hayes skeptical on rate cut, and more: Hodler’s Digest, Sept. 15 – 21

Donald Trump becomes the first former United States president to use crypto in a transaction, Arthur Hayes thoughts on rate cut: Hodler’s Digest

Politics

Lisa Nandy says Sir Keir Starmer ‘very sensible’ to accept football tickets worth thousands

Published

17 hours ago

September 21, 2024

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Lisa Nandy says Sir Keir Starmer 'very sensible' to accept football tickets worth thousands

Lisa Nandy has said Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to accept thousands of pounds worth of football tickets was “very sensible”.

The minister for culture, media and sport also said she had never accepted free clothes from a donor.

Speaking to Sky News at the start of the Labour Party conference today, the MP for Wigan said: “The problem that has arisen since [Sir Keir] became leader of the opposition and then prime minister is that for him to sit in the stands would require a huge security detail, would be disruptive for other people and it would cost the taxpayer a lot of money.

“So I think he’s taken a very sensible decision that’s not the right and appropriate thing to do, and it’s right to accept that he has to go and sit in a different area.

“But I know that he’d much rather be sitting in the stands cheering people on with the usual crowd that he’s been going to the football with for years.”

Ms Nandy also said while she has not accepted free clothes – joking “I think you can probably see that I choose my own clothes sadly” – she doesn’t “make any judgements about what other members of parliament do”.

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She said: “The only judgement I would make is if they’re breaking the rules, so they’re trying to hide what they’re doing. That’s when problems arise.

“Because the point of being open and transparent is that people can see where the relationships are, and they can then judge for themselves whether there’s been any undue influence.”

She asserted there had not been an undue influence in gifts accepted by senior Labour figures, adding: “We don’t want the news and the commentary to be dominated by conversations about clothes.

“We rightly have a system, I think, where the taxpayer doesn’t fund these things. We don’t claim on expenses for them. And so MPs will always take donations, will always take gifts in kind.

“MPs of all political parties have historically done that and that is the system that we have.”

She added: “I don’t think there’s any suggestion here that Keir Starmer has broken any rules. I don’t think there’s any suggestion that he’s done anything wrong.

“We expect our politicians to be well turned out, we expect them to be people who go out and represent us at different events and represent the country at different events and are clothed appropriately.

“But the point is that when we accept donations for that or for anything else, that we declare them and we’re open and transparent about them.”

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Sir Keir, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves said yesterday they will no longer accept donations in the future to pay for clothes.

The announcement followed criticism of Sir Keir’s gifts from donors, which included clothing worth £16,200 and multiple pairs of glasses worth £2,485, according to the MPs’ register of interests.

The register shows Ms Rayner has accepted clothing donations to the value of £2,230.

Sky News also revealed the scale of Sir Keir’s donations this week as part of our Westminster Accounts investigation.

Sir Keir was found to have received substantially more gifts and freebies than any other MP – his total in gifts, benefits, and hospitality topped £100,000 since December 2019.