he Government’s plan to accommodate asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm barge might face a authorized problem as firefighters accused ministers of a “callous disregard” for the security of these onboard.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has despatched a “pre-action protocol letter” to Home Secretary Suella Braverman outlining its issues over security aboard the vessel moored in Dorset’s Portland Port.
The union beforehand branded the enormous barge, initially designed for about 200 folks however modified to deal with 500 migrants, a “potential death trap”.
The first asylum seekers positioned on board Bibby Stockholm earlier this month have been eliminated days later after checks revealed Legionella – the micro organism which may trigger the doubtless deadly Legionnaires’ illness.
The FBU is demanding a response to its authorized letter by Thursday.
General secretary Matt Wrack stated: “The Fire Brigades Union is the professional voice of firefighters, and we have a duty to make our voices heard on matters of fire safety, especially when politicians let our members and the wider public down. We have been sounding the alarm about the Bibby Stockholm for weeks.
“It is disgraceful that the Home Secretary is not even willing to meet us to discuss these concerns. Throughout this episode, the Government has displayed a lack of transparency and a callous disregard for the safety of both firefighters and those who are due to be housed on the barge.
“Fires do not discriminate based on immigration status, and neither can fire safety regulations.
“Everyone, no matter where they are from, has the right to live in safe and decent accommodation, and firefighters have the right to expect that they will not be recklessly endangered.
“This is an industrial issue for the Fire Brigades Union, as our members are the ones expected to respond to any fire aboard the Bibby Stockholm. We have therefore decided to move towards a legal challenge on this matter.”
The FBU has raised issues about entry to fireside exits and attainable overcrowding on the vessel.
The Bibby Stockholm is considered one of a number of websites, which additionally embody former navy bases, ministers wish to use to deal with migrants as they await asylum selections in an effort to chop the price of placing them up in lodges and deter entries into the UK by way of unauthorised means.
The potential legal challenge comes after the 39 migrants on the vessel were removed after Legionella was detected on the vessel earlier this month.
In response, Rishi Sunak defended the coverage which is estimated to value the taxpayer £20,000 a day, including: “I know there is a long way to go on this but I’m determined to fix this problem and we are making progress and people can be reassured we will keep at it.”
Home Office information this week confirmed Channel crossings topped 19,000 for the 12 months thus far, regardless of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge that he'll “stop the boats”.
The Home Office has been approached for remark.
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