Politics

Inside first migrant barge housing migrants critics call ‘cruel’ – but it’s complete with a games room and a gym

5th April 2023

Migrant accommodation — BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Undated handout photo issued by Bibby Marine Ltd of the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge, a 222 bedroom, three-storey vessel, which can house up to 506 people, and could be the first to be used to house asylum seekers under Government plans aimed at reducing the reliance on hotels. Issue date: Wednesday April 5, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story POLITICS MigrantsBarge. Photo credit should read: Bibby Marine Ltde/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

BRITAIN’S first migrant barge boasts a gym, TV and games rooms, a pool table and even a bar — but critics still insist the floating hotel is “cruel”.

The three-storey Bibby Stockholm will house 500 in ensuite rooms at Portland Port, Dorset.

The three-storey vessel off the coast of Dorset is the first of its kind in the UK to house migrants

Despite boasting facilities like a gym, critics insist the barge is ‘cruel’

A look at the kitchen facilities on board

The barge also has TV and games rooms and wifi throughout.

The Home Office will lease it for 18 months to accommodate single adults arriving on small boats.

It will be berthed at Portland Port in a deal to slash the £6million a day the Government spends housing migrants in hotels.

Cruise ships and old RAF bases are also being considered.

Amnesty International said: “All talk of barges, cruise ships and former military barracks should be abandoned.

“Anyone seeking asylum in this country should be housed in decent accommodation with proper facilities and, crucially, their claims should be properly and consistently processed.

“Instead of more ministerial cruelty, we need sweeping asylum reforms.”

But Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson said: “If the economic migrants do not like our on-board hospitality then they are quite welcome to stay in France.

“This Easter I am taking a break on a barge on the Llangollen canal with my kids.

“This has set me back 1,200 quid for three nights. The migrants should think themselves lucky.”

Peterborough MP Paul Bristow said the barge offered “conditions many people in places like Peterborough could only dream of and anyone calling them inhumane doesn’t live in the real world”.

The barge also has TV, a games room and wifi throughout