Campaigners welcome closure of Bibby Stockholm asylum barge – but Labour faces calls to go further

Labour’s decision to stop using the ‘prison-like’ Bibby Stockholm barge to house asylum seekers has been welcomed by refugee campaigners.

The new government has decided not to extend the use of the barge, which can accommodate up to 500 men off the coast of Dorset, past January 2025 in a move it says will save £20m.

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“This is a very welcome sign of a competency dividend,” said Imran Hussain, executive director of external affairs at the Refugee Council.

“Clearing the backlog of asylum decisions reduces the numbers of people in the system who need to be accommodated. And ending the use of the Bibby Stockholm, and barges and hotels more generally, will make hugely important savings that help government to fix the asylum system.

“For too long we have heard first-hand from refugees about life on the Bibby Stockholm, that it is prison-like, horribly overcrowded and isolated, with people unable to access the essential specialist support they need. Let’s remember that people onboard are people from conflict and war in places like Syria, Afghanistan and Iran, and simply want to be safe.” 

The first asylum seekers moved onboard the Bibby Stockholm in August 2023, but were removed within days after Legionella bacteria was found in the barge’s water system.

In December 2023, Leonard Farruku died onboard in a suspected suicide. One former resident of the barge told the Big Issue how authorities allegedly restricted internet access in the wake of the death, and described his room as “very, very small”.

Refugee campaign groups welcomed the closure, but called for the closure of further sites used to house asylum seekers.

“The new government has inherited a cruel and dehumanising asylum housing system that rewards private companies with sky-high profits while refugees live in appalling conditions,” said Asli Tatliadim, head of campaigns at Refugee Action.

“We welcome the closure of Bibby Stockholm and ask that ministers take a new approach and create a system that puts people and our communities ahead of profit and segregation.

“This means closing the remaining mass accommodation sites including barracks and hotels and diverting funding to local authorities who can invest this money in assets and services used by everyone in our communities.” 

The Labour government is attempting to save £7.7bn over the next 10 years by clearing the asylum backlog and reducing the bill for housing asylum seekers awaiting claims.

It is the latest change in asylum policy from Labour, after the party scrapped the controversial Rwanda scheme as soon as they came into power. Home secretary Yvette Cooper revealed the Conservatives had planned to spend £10bn on the scheme over six years.

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