Home Office is examining a plan to house 1,500 refugees in a ship docked in one of the UK’s most deprived areas, a proposal that Labour has been described as “inhumane.”
Labour MP Mick Whitley criticised government proposals to accommodate the large number of asylum seekers at Liverpool’s Birkenhead port, accusing the Immigration Minister of ignoring repeated requests to respond to serious community concerns.
Speaking in the Commons on Thursday, Whitley—who represents Birkenhead—said the area’s already overstretched health and support services would struggle to cope with such an influx.
He said officers at Wirral Council were first approached by Home Office officials on April 14 with proposals to house “up to 1,500 vulnerable asylum seekers” on a vessel berthed in Birkenhead.
The ship will be located on the site of Wirral Waters, a £4.5 million regeneration development described by the MP as “an active work site.”
Whitley said the area fails to have adequate transport links to local amenities, services, or community support networks.
“To all intents and purposes, it will be a floating prison ship,” he told Parliament.
“The implications of this proposal on my constituency are indeed very serious,” he added.
“But I want to be clear that my concerns first and foremost are for the welfare of the refugees themselves.
“I’m not calling this debate, as I know that other members have in the past, to say not in my backyard.
“Instead, I quite proudly, without equivocation, say that refugees are welcome here.”
The Labour representative said the question Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick must answer is: “How on earth can they justify a policy that treats fellow human beings with such inhumanity?”
‘Cramped and Overcrowded’
Whitley further asked that if agreement was reached to accommodate refugees on Wirral peninsula, what steps will be taken to address the health needs of refugees living in “cramped and overcrowded” conditions?He also asked Jenrick to outline financial support to Wirral Council for extra support services to be put in place.
He added: “Thirdly, what steps will the government take to ensure that refugees are able to access local amenities, services, and vital community networks rather than being left to rot on a worksite?
“Considering that dramatic cuts to local bus services have left the area without adequate transport links,” he said.
Whitley also asked if extra police support would be made available to the port to ensure both the safety of the refugees and the local community.
Responding, Jenrick confirmed that the Home Office is in talks with Wirral Council over the plans, but that no deal had been done as yet.
He described the housing of asylum seekers on sites such as former military bases, ships, and barges as “undoubtedly” in the national interest and “in step” with Northern European counterparts.
The Immigration minister claimed that other countries—including Ireland and France—are looking at “similar approaches.”
Jenrick added: “We haven’t made a final decision to place the vessel in Birkenhead port. “However, we have identified the port as a potentially viable location and we’re seeking to engage the local authority, the local NHS, police, other emergency services, and other public agencies to help inform a final decision.”
He said a multi-agency forum is currently being established and will meet “imminently” in to assess risks and “identify mitigating actions.”
Extra Police Funding
Jenrick added: “He raised the issue of whether the vessel would be, in his words. a prison ship or a non-detained facility.“The Home Office has no intention of using this vessel as a detained facility.
“Those migrants who would be housed on it would be living in a non-detained manner, which means that they could leave the boat and they could spend time on the shore, whether that be in communities nearby in Birkenhead or further afield.
The Immigration Minister said the freedom of the refugees would be “carefully managed” by the Home Office.
Jenrick added: “He also suggested that this was or implied that this was an unorthodox approach.
“It is one that is being used elsewhere, both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe today.
“The Scottish Government have used vessels to house Ukrainian refugees, for example, in Leith in Edinburgh, over the course of the last year or two.”
The minister described the Scottish scheme as “broadly successful” for both refugees and the community.
Jenrick said that if the Wirral plans do go ahead, extra money will be given both to the local government and the police to deal with any extra pressures.
He said a health facility, situated on or near the port, would also be included to duplicate similar plans for a purpose-built barge set to officially open in Dorset in the coming weeks.
The 222-bedroom, three-story Bibby Stockholm barge arrived in UK waters earlier this month.
Residents in the area have previously expressed concern over the housing of the 500 refugees in the quiet coastal area and accused the government of failing to consult local representatives ad communities.
