Home secretary Suella Braverman’s plans to use cruise ships to house asylum seekers are in trouble after the vessels were turned down by docking sites, it has emerged.
It comes as the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge – part of the government’s plan to crackdown on illegal arrivals –was met by protesters as it arrived into Dorset’s Portland Port.
Rishi Sunak announced last month that two more vessels would be used for accommodation as part of efforts to deter small boats and reduce the £6m daily cost of hotel accommodation.
But plans for one of the boats to house migrants near Liverpool have been scrapped after being declined by the port operator while another vessel was refused docking near Edinburgh, according to Sky News.
No 10 did not deny the report, saying the government was still in talks to “open more” accommodation sites at docks elsewhere in Britain.
The prime minister’s spokesman told reporters: “We are continuing discussions both in terms of those who can provide additional accommodation facilities and sites where it can be housed.”
It is not yet clear how much the Sunak government paid for the two cruise ships before they were returned to the owner.
The Home Office said it would not comment on arrangements with vessel owners, saying officials had been looking at a “range of accommodation options which offer better value for the British taxpayer than expensive hotels”.
A spokesperson added: “This is why we will be using alternative accommodation options, such as barges, which are more manageable for communities, as our European neighbours are doing.”
Labour’s shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said the latest development showed the “incompetence of this Conservative government knows no limits”.
Mr Kinnock said the backlog of asylum cases had grown nine-fold under the Tory government, pushing the costs to £3.6bn. “They are now shifting to yet another plan that hasn’t been thought through – spending money on boats that have nowhere to dock.”
Asylum seekers are not expected to arrive onboard Bibby Stockholm for at least another week as further work is done to make it suitable for habitation.
The Independent understands the vessel must be connected to the Portland Port’s fresh water, mains sewage network and other services, after this it will undergo more tests.
An official brochure showed there were only 222 “single en-suite bedrooms” – meaning that at least two people will have to be crammed into every cabin for the government to achieve its claimed capacity.
Protests at Portland came as the government hailed the passage of the Illegal Migration Bill, aimed at making sure detained people are promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda – still the subject of a legal challenge.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk and UN high commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi led outrage at the plans – saying it could violate international law. “This new legislation significantly erodes the legal framework that has protected so many, exposing refugees to grave risks in breach of international law.”