Plan for cruise ship to accommodate asylum seekers close to Liverpool scrapped

Plans for an enormous cruise ship to accommodate asylum seekers close to Liverpool have been scrapped after being declined by port officers.

A authorities supply has advised Sky News the vessel was as a result of home 500 males looking for asylum in Birkenhead, however that can now not occur following objections from Peel Ports.

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The ship would have been a brand new, seventh web site acquired by the Home Office below controversial plans to begin transferring migrants from lodges in a bid to crack down on unlawful immigration.

The rejection comes after it emerged permission to berth a barge housing asylum seekers at an east London docks was additionally refused.

London’s Royal Docks mentioned it had knowledgeable the Home Office final month that water beside City Airport wouldn’t be applicable as a possible location to moor certainly one of its floating lodging vessels.

Scott Derben, managing director of London’s Royal Docks, mentioned on Thursday: “London’s Royal Docks had been approached by the Home Office to have a look at the feasibility of berthing a cruise ship to accommodate asylum seekers.

“After investigation, it was concluded that this would not be an appropriate use for the Royal Docks.

“The Home Office had been knowledgeable of this choice in May.”

The use of barges, in addition to former army barracks, is a part of authorities efforts to discourage migrants from embarking on harmful Channel crossings in small boats and to scale back the £6 million each day spend on lodges.

Charities and opposition MPs have blasted the plans and referred to as on the federal government to give attention to lowering the asylum seeker backlog.

Tory MPs have additionally voiced opposition to the websites being operated of their areas.

Richard Drax, the Conservative MP for South Dorset, mentioned the vessel as a result of dock in his constituency within the coming weeks might be “nothing more than a quasi-prison”.

As properly because the Bibby Stockholm, as a result of arrive in Portland off the coast of Dorset imminently, Rishi Sunak mentioned final week that the federal government had acquired two extra vessels as he insisted his plan to “stop the boats” is working.

He declined to say the place they might be moored, however there was hypothesis they may very well be docked round Liverpool and Middlesbrough.