The Bibby Stockholm barge will stop housing asylum seekers from the end of January 2025 as part of the government’s overhaul of the asylum system.
The barge, currently moored in Dorset, was set up by the last Conservative government as one of its attempts to cut hotel bills for people who had come to the UK via small boat crossings.
But the Home Office has now confirmed it will end the contract from next year “as part of the government’s commitment to clear the backlog and fix the asylum system”.
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Use of the vessel, currently housing 400 migrants and moored in Dorset, will end when the existing contract expires in January 2025.
The Home Office announced that ending the use of the Bibby Stockholm is part of an expected £7.7 billion in savings on asylum costs over the next ten years.
Extending its use would have cost over £20 million next year, according to the department. The giant vessel, where an asylum seeker died in a suspected suicide, became a flagship element of the previous government’s approach to migration.
The Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Angela Eagle, said: “We are determined to restore order to the asylum system, so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly; and ensures the rules are properly enforced.
“The Home Secretary has set out plans to start clearing the asylum backlog and making savings on accommodation, which is running up vast bills for the taxpayer.”
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