UK secures two more barges to house asylum seekers
The Guardian The government has acquired two more giant barges to house 1,000 asylum seekers, Rishi Sunak has confirmed, as he claimed his plan to stop the boats was working.
The prime minister said he would wait to announce where the new barges will be located as there would be extensive engagement with local communities.
Attempting to gain a positive step forward on his mission to prevent refugees from crossing the Channel, Sunak claimed small boat crossings were down 20% adding our plan is starting to work.
Speaking from Dover on Monday, after spending time in a flimsy boat to get a taste of the perilous journey, Sunak said: Before I launched my plan in December, the number entering the UK illegally in small boats had more than quadrupled in two years. Some said this problem was insoluble, or just a fact of 21st-century life.
Theyd lost faith in politicians to put in the hard yards to do something about it. And of course, we still have a long way to go. But in the five months since I launched the plan, crossings are now down 20% compared to last year.
