'Ridiculous' asylum barge plan ruled out by Treasury when Rishi Sunak was Chancellor

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The use of barges and cruise ships to house asylum seekers was ruled out by the Treasury while Rishi Sunak was Chancellor, The Independent has learned .

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick told parliament the government was “exploring the possibility of receiving migrants on ships” on Wednesday, but none were bought.

After Tory MP Richard Drax told parliament the decision should be 'completely out of the question' and would 'exacerbate tenfold' the problems at asylum hotels, Mr Jenrick insisted that he "saw merit" in using large ships and that they would "offer good value for money and decent accommodation".

In a flurry of selective media briefings ahead of a damning report exposing how the UK is now spending a third of its foreign aid budget on supporting refugees who are already here, government sources have suggested that barges could be used instead of hotels as a "deterrent".

But independent understands that formal research conducted by the Home Office during the Covid pandemic concluded that cruise ships and other vessels could be more expensive than hotels, and raised important practical, legal and ethical questions.

The Treasury, then led by Mr Sunak as Chancellor, ruled out floating accommodation for asylum seekers on cost grounds.

The Home Office scoping work warned that, as asylum seekers could not be detained on ships, there were significant practical problems in allowing them to travel through busy ports and to schools, medical surgeries and other vital amenities.

A former minister He said it was "ridiculous" for the current government to resuscitate the policy, adding: "It's just not sustainable."

When cruise ships were considered while they were disused during the pandemic, some curators had expressed concern about the "optics" of using luxurious accommodation.

The emphasis has since changed to houseboats offering simple accommodation of th The type used for offshore construction and the oil industry, but berthing costs alone are seen as a significant barrier.