Bibby Stockholm barge to be closed

The contract for the Bibby Stockholm barge, which houses asylum seekers off the coast of Dorset, will not be renewed past January, the Home Office has announced.

Extending the use of the barge, which is moored on Portland, would have cost more than £20 million next year.

The three-storey vessel has capacity for up to 500 men, aged 18-65.

Now run under a Labour government, the Home Office said the move was part of a commitment to “clear the backlog and fix the asylum system”.