Teesside politicians speak out after reports migrant barge could be moored at Teesport

Reports have suggested a giant barge used to house asylum seekers could be moored at Teesport.

On Monday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced two vessels had been purchased to accommodate up to 1,000 migrants. According to the Guardian, one of these is expected to be moored at Teesport and another at docks close to Liverpool.

Mr Sunak pledged to “stop the boats” from crossing the English Channel as one of five pledges he made in January this year. The politician is expected to lead the Conservatives into a general election next year.

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A spokesperson for PD Ports, which is the Statutory Harbour Authority on the River Tees and runs Teesport, confirmed the business was not aware of the proposals, nor had been involved or contacted by the government about the measures.

A Tees Valley Combined Authority spokesperson said it had also not been contacted by the government over this issue.

The Home Office would not confirm whether reports of a Teesport-moored vessel were true but stated that alternative sites and vessels were being sought to accommodate migrants to deal with pressures facing the asylum system.

Leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council Labour’s Cllr Alec Brown said the local authority was seeking clarity on the proposals as it had not been contacted by the government. He added: “I am totally against the principal of housing people seeking asylum in this way – it is something more akin to Victorian times and as a society, we should have a more humane way of treating people while their asylum claims are assessed by the Home Office.”

Labour Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham has written to the Home Office over the rumoured plans. He said: “The proposal to moor an accommodation barge at Teesport flies in the face of the commitment given from Ministers to local authorities in the North East that the North East would not take on additional asylum seekers while other areas are still ‘under quota’.

“The North East and Teesside is a welcoming region with our people, charities and organisations providing all manner of support to some of the most vulnerable in society – and often stepping in when Home Office provision falls short.

“Our local authorities also play a major role in ensuring people are supported and looked after and not one has shirked their responsibilities but services in areas like ours are already very stretched and it would not be appropriate for hundreds more people being moved to a barge on the Tees.”

In the letter, the MP also raised concerns, shared with Stockton Council leader Labour’s Cllr Bob Cook, that any accommodation barge would potentially be too close to a blast zone due to the proximity to nitram and ammonia plants.

However, Conservative Redcar MP Jacob Young has hit back and said local Labour politicians have tried to prevent the government from taking “robust action” to tackle illegal migration.

He added: “I think these barges are a better solution than spending taxpayers’ money on expensive hotels, but there are right places and wrong places for such barges.

“Redcar is the wrong place and I will not allow it to come here. However, given these local Labour MPs have voted against every bill to try stop the boats, maybe the barge should go in one of their constituencies.”

Previously, Labour Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald accused ministers of being “determined to deny refugees their most fundamental human rights” in a debate about the Illegal Migration Bill.

The bill gives ministers the power to remove anyone arriving in the UK illegally and these migrants would not be able to claim asylum. It is expected to be extensively amended by the House of Lords where it has faced heavy criticism.

However, the government has insisted it needs to act due to the record numbers of people arriving in small boats, alongside the £7m per day bill to house people in hotels while they wait for an outcome on their asylum claims.

Mr Sunak suggested to The Telegraph that he was open to using the Parliament Act to force the bill through if needed. This is rarely used but would enable the Commons to overrule the Lords.

The Press Association reported that the Government is expected to confirm which locations will be used in the coming weeks.

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