Contract ends for controversial asylum barge Bibby Stockholm

The authorities declaration for the arguable asylum barge successful Dorset has ended.

The past asylum seekers are believed to person near Bibby Stockholm astatine the extremity of November aft Labour said it would person outgo much than £20m to tally successful 2025.

Its closure this period was expected, and connected Friday the absorption steadfast and the Home Office confirmed to Sky News the declaration had present expired.

It's presently unclear erstwhile Bibby Stockholm volition permission Portland and what it volition beryllium utilized for next.

The Conservative authorities started utilizing the vas successful August 2023.

It said putting astir 500 men connected committee portion they waited for an asylum determination was cheaper than paying for edifice rooms.

However, it was arguable from the commencement and sparked ineligible challenges and protests.

Days aft the archetypal radical boarded determination was an outbreak of Legionella bacteria successful the h2o strategy and it had to beryllium evacuated for 2 months.

In December 2023, an Albanian asylum seeker, Leonard Farruku, died connected board.

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A Home Office spokesperson said the authorities was determined to betterment the asylum strategy to marque it run "swiftly, firmly and fairly".

"This includes our accommodation sites, arsenic we proceed to place a scope of options to trim the usage of hotels," the caller connection added.

"We are already closing immoderate hotels and volition proceed to prosecute with section authorities and cardinal stakeholders arsenic portion of this process."