A giant barge that will accommodate 500 migrants has anchored in Cornwall, with ministers promising more vessels in the future.
The Bibby Stockholm arrived in Falmouth for renovations ahead of going into service next month.
It was towed from Italy and will now undergo safety checks as well as being refitted to increase the onboard capacity as it presently only has spaces for 200 people.
The vessel will be moved into position off Dorset in the middle of June, and used for single adult male asylum seekers.
Confirming the plan last month, immigration minister Robert Jenrick said it would help trim the £6 million a day cost of housing Channel migrants in hotels.
He also claimed it would help prevent the United Kingdom from becoming a magnet for asylum shoppers in Europe.
The Home Office said it was in discussion with other ports and further barges would be announced in due course.
The Bibby Stockholm barge will provide essential and practical accommodation as well as healthcare and catering facilities when it’s berthed at Portland in Dorset, according to the Home Office.
The Port of Portland is also set to welcome more than 40 cruise ships over the course of the year and usually announces arrival and departure dates on its website to allow residents and local businesses to prepare for busy periods.
But it’s now removed the dates, with a source telling a newspaper outlet that bosses feared far-Right activists would organise demonstrations when there were large numbers of tourists in the area to maximise their impact.
A Portland Port spokesman, when asked about the report, said: ‘All cruise calls are proceeding as normal at Portland Port but arrivals and departures are subject to change, as they are at any port.
‘Therefore, it is best to contact the cruise line involved for the most up-to-date information.’
There will also be round-the-clock security on board to ‘minimise the disruption to local communities’.
However, the Government is encountering stiff local opposition to positioning Bibby Stockholm at a favoured beauty site.
This is despite suggestions that local councils could be paid up to £3,500 per migrant to receive barges in their ports.
There has also been a backlash from charities and human rights campaigners who say the accommodation is not suitable for people escaping war.
The barges include a gym, games room and bar. It also has tasty nutritional food in its restaurant and Wi-Fi throughout the ship, but that’s no good really when thousands of migrants cross the channel every week, and the summer’s not even here yet.
But then what’s the solution, has anyone got one? I know, most of you will say, send them back.
There’s a chain of migrants coming to the United Kingdom from overseas, so who’s leading and handling this migration? And meanwhile our homeless are still homeless. Many of whom have served our country, whilst risking life and limb.
These people fought in wars and then they come back home and end up with nothing, but if you’re a migrant the United Kingdom will welcome you with open arms. I understand that some have come from war-torn countries, but if the shoe was on the other foot would they welcome us with such open arms? Perhaps there’s a hidden agenda!
People in the United Kingdom have paid towards something, whether it be tax or National Insurance all their lives, yet migrants come over to this country, get everything they need and haven’t paid a penny into the system, and it’s an absolute disgrace, and I really have no idea how this will end.
Our Government talk about sustainability. This is not sustainable and it’s not fair to British taxpayers!
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 