The Home Office has begun relocating asylum seekers from the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, Dorset, to hotel and council accommodation in the Midlands, as the barge is set to close by Christmas under Labour’s recent overhaul of the asylum system. Approximately 400 people are being transferred to various sites, including a Wolverhampton hotel now designated for single male migrants and council-provided accommodation in Worksop, backed by Bassetlaw Council.

The closure of the Bibby Stockholm is part of Labour’s strategy to address the asylum system backlog, which has reached nearly 120,000 pending cases. While intended to cut costs, the initial barge project faced criticism, and Labour now aims to end large-scale migrant accommodations like the Bibby Stockholm and RAF Wethersfield in Essex, which currently houses 500 asylum seekers. However, a closure date for RAF Wethersfield has not been set.

The migration of asylum seekers to the Midlands has ignited political debate. Robert Jenrick, former immigration minister and MP for Bassetlaw, voiced concerns, stating, “Illegal migration is not a political football; it’s a national security emergency… Labour should focus on stopping the boats by strengthening the Rwanda scheme, not scrapping it.

A Home Office source responded by emphasizing that the government inherited record numbers of small boat arrivals and a mounting asylum backlog. “The Government is acting step by step to get the system back on track, increase border security, end hotel use, and re-establish an asylum and immigration system that is properly managed and controlled, so the system is fair.”

With the Bibby Stockholm contract set to end in January and no financial penalty for early closure, the Home Office estimates keeping the barge operational would cost over £20 million next year. Meanwhile, the demand for accommodation has surged, with nearly 30,000 migrants housed across 250 hotels at a daily cost of £4.2 million.

The ongoing relocation underscores the challenges and costs of the UK’s asylum crisis, while Labour works to balance humanitarian needs with financial and logistical realities.