Asylum seeker dies on board migrant barge

An asylum seeker has died on the Bibby Stockholm boat. The identity of the migrant who lost his life on board the barge in Dorset, which has been used to house those awaiting the outcome of their asylum application, has not been confirmed. A spokesman for the Home Office said: ‘We are aware of reporting of an incident. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time’.

Steve Smith, CEO of refugee charity Care4Calais, said: ‘Our thoughts are with the person who has lost their life, their family and their friends.’

News of the death came hours before a crunch Commons vote on the government’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda. Rishi Sunak is attempting to persuade Tory MPs not to rebel against his emergency legislation to get the scheme off the ground. A previous version of the plan was judged to be unlawful by the Supreme Court.

The Bibby Stockholm boat in Portland is home to 300 migrants. The boat has been beset with problems since the first asylum seekers arrived over the summer. In August, those on board were evacuated after Legionella bacteria was found in the vessel’s water system.