LONDON: Britain’s new government will end the use of the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge to house migrants off the south coast of England as part of its overhaul of the asylum system, it said on Tuesday.

Use of the vessel, which can house up to 500 men, began under the Conservative government with the aim of cutting the 8 million pounds a day cost of hotel accommodation for asylum seekers while their claims are processed.

Anchored off Dorset, it became a high-profile symbol of Britain’s tough asylum policy under the Conservatives, with human rights campaigners comparing it to a prison ship and criticising its use as inhumane.

One man died on board last year and a separate water contamination issue forced the government to remove migrants for a number of weeks.

Britain’s Home Office, or interior ministry, said use of the barge would end once its contract expires in January. The new government has also scrapped the Tory scheme to send to Rwanda any migrants who arrived illegally in Britain on small boats.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2024