The British authorities chartered the barge Bibby to accommodate 500 illegal migrants who arrived through the English Channel. According to Bloomberg, citing sources, this decision was officially made to save money, but in fact, the authorities expect to frighten potential migrants with the harsh conditions of waiting for asylum.
According to the interlocutors of the agency, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the head of the ministry, Sue-Ellen Braverman, intend to “demonstrate their readiness for tough measures” in this way. According to politicians, even if only one barge is equipped, it could “convince many people not to sail to the UK for asylum”.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country reported that at present, several tens of thousands of people are seeking consideration of applications for asylum in Britain. Additional barges are planned to be chartered to accommodate other migrants.
At the same time, the Ministry of Immigration stressed that housing for migrants will “comply with legal obligations,” but added that the use of expensive hotels for illegally crossed the English Channel should be stopped. Minister Robert Jenrick said the authorities would not “put the interests of illegal migrants ahead of the British people they have been chosen to serve.”
A proposal to house migrants on barges had been made during the premiership of Boris Johnson, but the idea was rejected at the time because it was not practical to buy enough ships and the people on them would jump overboard trying to get to shore.
By the end of 2022, more than 160,000 people were awaiting decisions on asylum applications in Britain, according to official statistics from the British Home Office. This is 60% more than in 2021.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
