Monday, 25 Nov 2024

Migrant barge plan must be ‘consigned to dustbin’, says Tory MP

Suella Braverman was last night facing a growing Tory revolt over her bid to house asylum seekers at ­former RAF bases and on barges. MPs and campaigners fear that hundreds of migrants could disappear and housing thousands of asylum seekers will overwhelm local services.

Tory Richard Drax says the first vessel could be in Portland Harbour, Dorset, this summer. He has vowed to get the plan “consigned to the dustbin” and threatened legal action.

He and fellow Tories have accused Home Office officials and ministers of a lack of communication.

Home Secretary Mrs Braverman is set to declare that the 305ft Bibby Stockholm will become the first accommodation barge.

It could house more than 500 migrants in 222 bedrooms.

South Dorset MP Mr Drax said the barge was being “dumped on our door” without consultation. He said he learned of it only when Mrs Braverman rang him to say it was happening.

He added: “Every option’s being looked at, including legal action. We want to get this consigned to the dustbin before anything’s signed.

“We want to activate ourselves and say ‘Look Home Secretary, sorry, this is not the right place, can you please cancel this?’.”

Portland Port said it had been selected by the Home Office as a site for a migrant barge. Tory-run Dorset Council voiced “serious concerns about the suitability of the location for this facility”.

Mr Drax said the harbour, near Weymouth, was a “summer resort dependent almost entirely on visitors and tourists”.

He insisted: “With 500 migrants or more dumped here, I cannot see this is a sensible move.

“We already know some migrants have disappeared from hotels – we fear some into gangs. Are they going to stay here? No, there’s Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Dorchester, Bridport to the West.

“They might just disappear into thin air so for all these reasons, I’m not happy with it.”

The Home Office is also facing pressure over plans to use ex-RAF bases as asylum centres.

Former Home Secretary Priti Patel is backing Braintree Council’s High Court challenge to stop RAF Wethersfield in Essex from housing 1,700 migrants.

Senior Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh has vowed to oppose plans to turn former Dambusters base RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, into a centre for up to 2,000 asylum seekers.

The Home Office said surplus military sites would provide “cheaper and more orderly, suitable accommodation for those arriving in small boats as they await a decision on their claim whilst helping to reduce the use of hotels”.

It added: “We understand the concerns of local communities and will work closely with councils and key partners including liaising with local police to manage the impact.”

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