The British government will decommission the ship to house asylum seekers in January 2025

Jul 23. () –

The UK government announced on Tuesday that it will dismantle the controversial ship ‘Bibby Stockholm’, which houses asylum seekers and was docked in the port of Portland during the Conservative government of Risi Sunak, in January 2025.

“Extending the use of the ‘Bibby Stockholm’ would have cost more than 20 million pounds (23 million euros) next year. The barge will continue to be used until January 2025, but there will be no continuation of the contract beyond that date,” it said in a statement.

The Home Office said the move was part of a projected £7.7bn (€9.1bn) in cost savings over the next ten years as authorities clear the backlog of applications.

“We are determined to restore order to the asylum system, so that it works quickly, firmly and fairly, and to ensure that the rules are properly enforced,” said Minister for Border Security and Asylum Angela Eagle.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has rejected his predecessor Rishi Sunak’s plan to deport people to Rwanda, one of the Tories’ flagship measures to combat the migration crisis in the face of an increase in arrivals during 2024.

Sunak wanted to use this ship, which has a capacity of 500 people, to save some of the costs of hosting asylum seekers in hotels. The plan was questioned by human rights organisations.