- Tory MP raises concerns over safety of barge intended to house asylum claimants
- Chris Loder requests safety reports and asks home secretary to stop the Bibby Stockholm
- Government faces opposition in search for housing for asylum seekers, including use of former military bases and tents
Tory Chris Loder claims that the Bibby Stockholm can house half the government’s intended population.
A Conservative MP wants safety reports for the government’s asylum barge.
The Bibby Stockholm, which will house 500 individuals awaiting decisions on their applications, departed Cornwall today for its new berth in Portland Port, Dorset.
Chris Loder, who represents West Dorset, argued that the number was double the barge’s intended carrying capacity.
Mr. Loder has requested that the home secretary “stop” the vessel or provide assessments demonstrating that it is “safe to carry double the weight it was designed to carry.”
The government has been searching for new housing for asylum seekers, including those who cross the English Channel in small boats, alleging that the daily hotel bill has reached £6 million.
Besides the barge, it has taken over disused military bases and may deploy huge tents.
Ministers, however, have encountered opposition from residents, councils, and legislators if their areas were chosen for the new sites.
Mr. Loder, who has spoken out against the Bibby Stockholm coming to his county, has now expressed his concerns about the barge’s safety in a letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman and transport minister Baroness Vere.
“For months, I’ve been requesting to see the safety risk assessments that should have been conducted before allowing the Bibby Stockholm to be used in Portland Harbour with 500 people on board when it was only designed for 250,” he wrote.
The Bibby Stockholm has now departed from Falmouth Dock. However, neither transparency nor assurances that adequate safety risk assessments have been conducted have been received.”
The representative also asserted that after speaking with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, it was “clear that they have not performed the work that we would normally expect them to do for a flagged vessel on the water, which the Bibby Stockholm is.”
Mr. Loder continued, “I am writing you this evening to request that you either stop the Bibby Stockholm or provide the necessary safety risk assessments confirming that this vessel is safe to carry double the weight it was designed to carry.”
After Ms. Braverman informed lawmakers on 5 June that the three-story vessel would arrive in Portland within two weeks, it is one month behind schedule.
In May, the Home Office stated that the 222-bedroom vessel provides “basic” accommodations with healthcare, catering, and 24-hour security for £20,000 per day.
Dorset Council received £2 million for resident services.
