Government plans to moor a barge housing illegal immigrants at London’s Royal Docks have been met with strong opposition from Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Khan called the Home Office plans “abhorrent,” adding that he opposed them “in the strongest possible terms.”
“They fly in the face of London’s proud history of providing sanctuary to people seeking refuge. I’m concerned for the safety of vulnerable people forced to flee their homes. The government must rethink and instead treat asylum seekers with humanity & dignity,” Khan said on Twitter.
The mayor’s office was informed about the “Home Office’s proposals to use the Royal Docks,” located in the east London borough of Newham. However, the Royal Docks Management Authority has denied permission to berth a barge at its King George V Dock, Khan told the Home Office in a letter.
“I wish first to put on record my support for this decision and secondly to outline my absolute opposition to the Government’s policy of housing asylum seekers on vessels,” Khan told Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
The government’s plan to accommodate illegal immigrants on vessels and in alternative sites is part of its ongoing work to slash the cost of expensive hotels.
On Monday, the Home Office announced that it will utilize vessels and other sites to accommodate more than 5,000 illegal immigrants, including a vessel in Portland Port, new sites at Wethersfield and Scampton, and two new vessels with 1,000 alternative bed spaces.
Proposals to place illegal immigrants on barges raise concerns about the safety, health, and wellbeing of people fleeing appalling circumstances, Khan warned.
“London has a proud history of providing sanctuary for those seeking refuge,” he added.
According to the government, accommodation of illegal immigrants at hotels comes at great expense to the taxpayer, and is currently estimated at £6 million a day.
An “unacceptable” number of people cross into the UK illegally, Braverman said, adding that the government will “continue to crack down on the abuse of our asylum system, ultimately saving the British taxpayer money.”
Illegal immigrants staying in hotels will roomshare, saving taxpayers £250 million a year, added the home secretary.
In a statement on Monday statement, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak argued that this was more than a fair deal.
Small Boat Crossings
The Illegal Migration Bill, currently in the House of Lords, aims at cracking down on illegal immigrants reaching the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats.The bill, according to Khan, endangers tens of thousands of already vulnerable people.
“It is a cruel and unworkable policy that plays directly into the hands of human traffickers and risks leaving more than 50,000 people, including thousands of children, in London without access to support. Ignoring requests for sanctuary and denying access to services, could cause untold damage – trapping people in a cycle of homelessness, destitution and exploitation,” the mayor said in a statement, calling on the government to rethink its policy.
Sunak defended the government’s position and argued that Britain’s asylum system was “overwhelmed with people travelling from safe countries.”
Since the government launched operations to curb illegal immigration earlier this year, small boat crossings have dropped 20 percent compared to 2022, Sunak said.
Under the provisions of the bill, immigrants who arrive illegally in the UK will be removed to their own country or a “safe list” country like Rwanda.
The UK government signed an agreement on illegal immigration with Albania at the end of last year. Since then over 1,000 Albanian nationals have been returned to Albania, including failed asylum seekers, foreign national offenders, and voluntary returns.
“My policy is very simple: it is this country—and your government—who should decide who comes here, not criminal gangs,” said Sunak, vowing to keep his promise of stopping small boats from crossing illegally to the UK.
