Controversial Asylum Barge Bibby Stockholm Emptied as UK Reshapes Migration Strategy

The final asylum seekers have left the Bibby Stockholm, a move that marks a major new direction in UK migration policy. The barge built at Portland in southern England has been an issue of political discourse since its construction and residents were said to have been evacuated by local authorities on Tuesday. The ship, hailed by the previous Conservative government as a cheaper way of dealing with immigrants, was criticized for its living conditions and seen as inhuman.

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The Bibby Stockholm, which was built to house 500 asylum seekers as and when required, was part of Rishi Sunak’s plan to cut back the costly hotels for migrants. Even if the expenditure amounted to over $27 million, the project was accompanied by specific problems: hygiene issues, including Legionella bacteria; The residents’ complaints about inadequate living conditions; and The death of a resident who attempted suicide. Dorset Council’s statement that the last occupants have been “evacuated across the country” signals the end of a politically sensitive social experiment in asylum seekers’ housing.

The barge project was immediately abandoned by the new Labour government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer because of proper cost control and obvious humanitarian concerns. As of March 2024, there are 86,460 outstanding asylum cases, the government has committed to clear claims faster and minimize the use of hotels as accommodation. Forcing asylum seekers into lifeboats was abandoned, and, even more notably, the Bibby Stockholm was left behind as well as the infamous Rwanda deportation plan was canceled – all of these things point to the fact that the hostile treatment of immigrants may become a thing of the past.