Two large cruise ships set to deal with 1,000 asylum seekers had been unable to seek out anyplace to dock and have been returned to their homeowners, a senior supply has informed Sky News.
In June, Rishi Sunak introduced the federal government acquired two extra vessels, alongside the Bibby Stockholm barge – which arrived in Dorset at present – as a part of continued efforts to chop down on resort payments of £6m a day for these coming to the UK through small boat Channel crossings.
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Plans for one of many cruise ships to deal with asylum seekers close to Liverpool had been scrapped after being declined by the port operator, and it’s understood one of many boats was additionally refused docking close to Edinburgh.
It shouldn’t be clear how a lot the federal government paid for the boats earlier than returning them to the proprietor.
A Home Office spokesperson stated they may not touch upon industrial preparations, however stated the federal government had been taking a look at a “range of accommodation options which offer better value for the British taxpayer than expensive hotels”.
The 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”.
Last month, Mr Sunak stated Channel crossings had been down by a fifth in comparison with final 12 months and his plan to “stop the boats” was “starting to work”.
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Speaking from Kent, he stated housing asylum seekers on ships may “reduce pressures on local communities”, including that the Bibby Stockholm barge would “arrive in Portland in the next fortnight and we’ve secured another two today”.
The authorities wouldn’t verify the names of the 2 different vessels or the corporate they had been acquired from.
The Bibby Stockholm, which has arrived in Dorset a month not on time, is because of begin housing asylum seekers within the coming weeks.
Content Source: information.sky.com