00:00 The UK government's controversial asylum policy is facing renewed criticism after at
00:08 least six people died when a small boat crossing the English Channel capsized and sank yesterday.
00:14 Another two people are still believed to be missing after the sinking, prompting fresh
00:18 calls for the government to urgently introduce safe routes for asylum seekers to prevent
00:23 further tragedies.
00:26 With this, now the spotlight has shifted back to UK government's asylum policy and once
00:31 again to a controversial barge that is being used to house asylum seekers - the BB Stockholm
00:36 barge.
00:37 BB Stockholm is a barge that is berthed in Portland Port and is the first of its kind
00:42 in the UK.
00:43 It accommodates single men while their asylum claims are being processed.
00:47 Residents whose claims are refused and have exhausted their appeal rights will be outrightly
00:52 removed from the country.
00:54 Until then, they are planned to house here.
00:57 The barge, which is to be operational for at least 18 months, is also slated to provide
01:01 basic accommodation and healthcare, catering facilities and round-the-clock security.
01:07 It was previously used by the Netherlands and Germany to house asylum seekers.
01:12 The government announced in April its plans to house around 500 single adult men on the
01:17 BB Stockholm, which was meant to serve as a deterrent to those hoping to seek asylum
01:22 in the UK.
01:23 The barge was originally designed to house 222 people but was retrofitted to increase
01:28 its capacity.
01:29 Critics say that the increase in capacity and density of the vessel, which now has berths
01:34 for 500, was creating a health danger and safety concerns.
01:38 The UK has now removed a group of asylum seekers off this barge just a few days after moving
01:44 them onto the vessel because Legionella bacteria was found in the water supply - an embarrassment
01:49 for the government as it tried to showcase a tough new immigration policy.
01:53 The bacteria discovered in the water supply can cause Legionella disease, a lung infection
01:58 that the UK health service describes as uncommon but very serious.
02:02 The UK has started moving the asylum seekers onto the BB Stockholm, a barge anchored off
02:07 Dorsey on the south coast earlier this week as part of its high-profile strategy to deter
02:12 people from arriving in the country on small boats.
02:15 The policy was controversial before it even got underway.
02:18 UK ministers have said that they wanted to reduce the cost of accommodating asylum seekers
02:23 in hotels while human rights campaigners had compared the barge to a prison ship and said
02:28 its use was completely inhumane.
02:31 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to stop crossings of the English Channel which hit
02:35 more than 45,000 last year.
02:38 Almost 88,000 people have made the crossings of one of the world's busiest waterways since
02:43 2018, leading the country's asylum system to become overloaded.
02:47 More than 160,000 people are waiting for asylum decisions as of the end of December 2022,
02:54 with most having waited more than six months, according to official figures.
02:58 The BB Stockholm serves as yet another example of the government's challenges in implementing
03:03 alternative housing solutions for asylum seekers.
03:06 Similar projects in other parts of England have been postponed or abandoned due to logistical
03:11 hurdles and public resistance.
03:12 [music]
