Government could house asylum seekers on barge in Harwich

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has revealed two more giant vessels will be used for migrant accommodation as he insisted his plan to stop Channel crossings was “starting to work”.

According to The Guardian, these are expected to be moored at Teesport in the North East as well as in docks close to Liverpool.

The Home Office refused to comment on the reports, although the Government is expected to confirm which locations will be used in the coming weeks.

The newspaper also cited sources which said discussions over the acquisition of further barges and disused cruise ships had taken place, meaning thousands of asylum seekers could be housed in vessels in Harwich, Felixstowe, on Tyneside near Newcastle, and the Royal London docks near City Airport.

Confident - Harwich and North Essex MP Sir Bernard Jenkin

Harwich and North Essex MP Sir Bernard Jenkin told the Standard it was unlikely that any barges would be based in the town.

“I have had some discussions about this and I’m confident it will not happen in Harwich,” he said.

“We do have to find places for applicants until we get the numbers down and that is proving problematic.

“Nobody wants us to be distracted from developing Harwich as a freeport or interrupting the port operations of Harwich and Parkeston, which would only be disrupted by doing something as controversial as what has been suggested.”

Mr Sunak said the number of people making the journey across the Channel was down by around a fifth since last year but acknowledged the Government has “a long way still to go”.

During a visit to Dover, he played down suggestions that fewer crossings were a result of poor weather conditions at this time of year rather than policy decisions.

From above: Harwich International Port. Picture: Steve Brading (Image: Steve Brading)

Opposition critics likened the announcement of yet more measures to tackle the crisis to “Groundhog Day” and accused Mr Sunak of “cynical spin”.

It comes as peers threatened to delay the Illegal Migration Bill until the Government publishes the “facts and figures” showing the financial implications of the proposals.