Bibby Stockholm: 20 asylum seekers do not board accommodation barge after legal challenges, Care4Calais says

The first asylum seekers have arrived to live at the Bibby Stockholm barge, however 20 others did not board after legal challenges, the charity Care4Calais said.

A group of 15 arrived at the accommodation vessel moored in Portland Port, Dorset, on 7 August, with more people expected later in the week. Suella Braverman's plans to house 500 male asylum seekers on the huge barge had been initially delayed after fire safety concerns.

Several asylum seekers did not board as their transfers were “cancelled” by lawyers. Chief executive Steve Smith said: “None of the asylum seekers we are supporting have gone to the Bibby Stockholm today as legal representatives have had their transfers cancelled.

“Amongst our clients are people who are disabled, who have survived torture and modern slavery and who have had traumatic experiences at sea. To house any human being in a ‘quasi floating prison’ like the Bibby Stockholm is inhumane. To try and do so with this group of people is unbelievably cruel. Even just receiving the notices is causing them a great deal of anxiety.

"Human beings should be housed in communities, not barges. The government could just get on with processing people’s asylum claims, instead they are playing to a gallery that seems to thrive on human suffering. We will continue supporting people to challenge their decision.”

While the Government has said a “task force” has been launched to identify unscrupulous lawyers after reports that false asylum claims are being submitted for a fee.

Cheryl Avery, the Home Office’s director for asylum accommodation, said there have been “some minor legal challenges” but would not comment on the detail of them, adding accommodation is offered on a “no choice” basis. While Tory party chair Lee Anderson said: "If they don’t like barges then they should f**k off back to France."

The Home Office said those arriving in the country via unauthorised means should have “basic but proper accommodation” and that they “can’t expect to stay in a four-star hotel”. Photos show bedrooms with double bunks as well as a TV room with white leather sofas.

Torture victim Kolbassia Haoussou, director of survivor empowerment at the charity Freedom from Torture, has said he is "deeply disturbed" by the Bibby Stockholm plans.

He said: “When I fled torture and persecution in my homeland, the UK granted me sanctuary and a chance to rebuild my life in safety. As a survivor of torture, I am deeply disturbed that the government is going ahead with its cruel plan to cram refugees onto a barge that has been branded a ‘potential death trap’.

“Instead of punishing people like me who’ve already been through so much, survivors should be offered protection and support. It’s time for this Government to stop wasting time by forcing refugees to live in unsafe and undignified accommodation, and concentrate its efforts on rebuilding an asylum system that treats people with humanity and compassion.”

Fire safety concerns

The Home Office had been expecting to send an initial group of people to the Bibby Stockholm at the end of July, however the Times reported serious fire safety concerns about the vessel. One source told the paper of fears the barge could become a “floating Grenfell”, in reference to the west London tower block tragedy in 2017 where 72 people were killed in a fire.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service group manager Graham Kewley said on 31 July that fire service had been liaising with the Home Office and the barge's operator, however he would not comment on specific allegations.

He explained: "We will be undertaking appropriate audits to confirm that adequate general fire precautions are in place. We have provided advice and comment in relation to fire safety arrangements to both the Home Office and the vessels operators during our familiarisation and pre-occupation visits."

Kewley added: "We do not conduct fire risk assessments or provide an approval process prior to occupation of a premises but will exercise our enforcement powers - either formal or informal - to address any significant areas of non-compliance where necessary."

The Times also reported the Home Office is moving more migrants into accommodation at RAF Wethersfield in Essex. It comes despite a small number of positive results for tuberculosis being detected at the former RAF site in Braintree.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Delivering accommodation on surplus military sites and vessels will provide cheaper and more orderly, suitable accommodation for those arriving in small boats."

Housing asylum seekers on military sites will 'lead to significant suffering'

The British Red Cross - a leading humanitarian charity with King Charles III as its president - previously told NationalWorld that housing asylum seekers on military sites could "re-traumatise people who have fled war".

Alex Fraser, director for refugee support, said: “We know from our work supporting men, women and children seeking asylum that these sites will be entirely inappropriate for people and will lead to significant suffering.

“People who have been forced to flee their homes have already experienced unimaginable trauma. They need stability, support, to be able to maintain contact with their loved ones and to feel safe. Military sites, by their very nature, can re-traumatise people who have fled war and persecution.

"These sites may also put vulnerable people at risk of exploitation. We find ourselves in this position as a direct result of the failure of tackle the asylum backlog, with over 172,000 people living in limbo. We need a more effective and compassionate asylum system, one that supports people to integrate into a community so they can find safety and live in dignity.”

The reported fire safety concerns was the latest issue with Suella Braverman's controversial plans to tackle migration. The government has faced a series of legal challenges around its plans to house asylum seekers and the Illegal Migration Bill, which recently received royal assent. The main tenet of that policy - sending refugees to Rwanda - has been ruled unlawful by the High Court.

Following this, reports emerged over the weekend that the Government is considering a "plan B", which would involve flying asylum seekers 4,000 miles to Ascension Island, which lies between Brazil and Angola in the Atlantic Ocean.

The High Court has also ruled that Braverman acted unlawfully by withholding payments of £3 a week to provide healthy food for children under four and pregnant women. And West Lindsey District Council, in Lincolnshire, recently won the right to a judicial review, which would determine whether the government can house migrants at RAF Scampton.

Plans to move 2,000 migrants into RAF Scampton were reportedly delayed until October, after delays in conducting surveys on the 14 buildings designated for migrant accommodation.