The British Government will accommodate half a thousand asylum seekers on a floating boat, with 222 cabins available as well as dining rooms and other common areas, which will be moored at the Portland pier, a remote islet on the Jurassic Coast, in southern England. . The first consignment of immigrants will embark in the "next few months" on the Bibby Stockholm bedroom boat, Interior confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.
The location of refugees in alternative accommodation - from ships to converted military installations and disused prisons - is part of the program of the conservative Executive of Rishi Sunak to discourage the arrival of migrants through routes considered illegal, reduce the number of hotel rooms for irregulars and decongest the immigration system, which on January 1 accumulated a backlog of 132,000 applications awaiting the initial decision of the British authorities.
"We are spending six million pounds a day (about 6.85 million euros) hosting illegal asylum seekers in hotels. That cannot be correct," said Sunak at a campaign event for the municipal elections, scheduled for early May.
The conservative leader added that accommodating migrants in "alternative locations, including barges" is part of his plan to "put an end to boats" that cross the English Channel from France and Belgium with refugees on board.
Male adults, without a partner or children, will settle on board the Bibby Stockholm, if the Government goes ahead with its controversial plan that is opposed by councilors, deputies and the communities of the area. Portland is located at the tip of Weymouth, a city with a high national tourist attraction, and is on the horizon of several popular beaches and literary claims.
Interior did not disclose the cost of the mooring or the boat, which has chartered in principle for a minimum period of 18 months. We must also add the cost of security on board, with guaranteed protection 24 hours a day, and health care, as well as food and other minimum services that residents will need.
The Government is negotiating with other English ports in order to expand the fleet of sleeping boats available for refugees. Three Royal Air Force (RAF) bases and an old prison have been identified among the centers that will be set up to hold irregular foreigners before they are deported from the United Kingdom.
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