Labour’s latest U-Turn: Migrant hotels to reopen - costing taxpayers £4m per day
16 October 2024, 12:42 | Updated: 16 October 2024, 14:12
The government has defended requesting further space in hotels to house migrants following a spike in illegal Channel crossings.
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Labour previously pledged to end the use of hotels amid claims it cost the taxpayer £4m per day.
Back in July, the government announced the decision not to renew the contract for use of the Bibby Stockholm past January 2025. Currently, people still remain on the barge.
The accommodation barge, which housed up to 500 asylum seekers, is docked in Portland, Dorset.
According to a government spokesperson, a major surge in immigration enforcement is now underway, including the removal of people with no right to be in the UK.
They added they inherited a "chaotic landscape" of expensive hotel contracts, large sites and dispersed accommodation.
Read More: Migrants could be housed in hotels for up to three more years due to asylum backlog
Ministers previously said stopping using the barge would form part of an expected £7.7 billion in savings in the asylum system.
The barge was set up by the previous Conservative government as part of its attempts to cut hotel bills for migrants who had come to the UK on small boats.
The first migrants were moved onto the barge in August last year.
It has capacity for 500 men, aged between 18 and 65.
Concerns have emerged about overcrowding and conditions on board the barge, and dozens of charities called for it to be closed.
A man took his own life on board in December, according to a charity.
A Home Office source said: “The Government has begun delivering a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity to remove people with no right to be in the UK.
"We inherited a chaotic landscape of expensive hotel contracts, large sites and dispersed accommodation. We have started processing asylum claims, which had ground to a halt under the Tories, leading to a record asylum backlog and a £5bn black hole in the Home Office budget.
“The Home Office regularly reviews our asylum accommodation footprint to reduce costs, build flexibility and deliver value for money for taxpayers.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly, and fairly.
“We are committed to speeding up the asylum process and have taken urgent action to restart processing and clear the backlog, which will save an estimated £7 billion for the taxpayer over the next ten years.
“The government has begun delivering a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity to remove people with no right to be in the UK and ensure the rules are respected and enforced.”
Read more: Murder probe launched after man, 30, stabbed to death in broad daylight on Essex street
A previous government statement on the closure of the barge reads: "Ending the use of the Bibby Stockholm forms part of the expected £7.7 billion of savings in asylum costs over the next ten years, as the Home Secretary takes action to restart asylum caseworking, clear the backlog and remove those with no right to be here.
"Extending the use of the Bibby Stockholm would have cost over £20 million next year.
"The barge will continue to be used until January 2025, but there will be no continuation of the contract beyond that."
