we start in the uk where the first asylum seekers to be housed on board a barge in dorset are expected to arrive later today. the use of the bibby stockholm to house up to 500 people had been delayed by safety concerns. ministers insist the vessel will help reduce the cost of placing migrants in hotels. dan johnson reports. three weeks after reaching portland, the bibby stockholm looks like it s about to take up its role, as a home for asylum seekers and a display of a tougher approach to immigration. this is part of the government s insistence on reducing hotel bills, currently around £6 million a day, and deterring migrants from crossing the channel. it s controversial. concerns about fire safety saw it labelled a death trap, but it seems everything may now be in place. we have seen a letter sent to asylum seekers, saying they ll be moved here later today. now, that did happen twice last week
the bibby stockholm barge isjust one part of the government s asylum plan. tonight, we look at the whole system. we ll hear from conservative mp and former immigration minister sir robert goodwill. as well as labour peer lord dubs. also tonight instability in west africa. after coup leaders in niger closed the country s airspace until further notice in response to an ultimatum from regional powers to restore the ousted president, how much could the situation escalate across the region? there could be changes to how young people with gender dysphoria are treated by health care professionals. nhs england is looking at whether to refer i7 and 18 year olds directly to adult gender services. we ll ask one 16 year old in the process of transitioning what he thinks about that. and professional cage fighter teddy stringer is here to give his assessement of zuckerberg v musk as the two social media tycoons get
and at a cost of about £6 million a day. and ministers agree that is unacceptable. so where to put all these people instead? the government increased payments to local authorities who accommodate asylum seekers but many councils are still reluctant to take them. ministers looked at former military and prison sites. mod wethersfield in essex. raf scampton in lincolnshire. northeye in east sussex. and even catterick in the prime ministers constituency in north yorkshire was talked about. but local opposition and legal challenges mean that, as i speak, only wethersfield has seen any asylum seekers arrive ? and only 46 of them. which leads us to the bibby stockholm moored in a private port with capacity for 500 people the home office wants to move out of hotels. but remember there are 50,000 asylum seekers in hotels ? so we would need 100 barges to empty all those rooms. the government is pinning its hopes on stopping the flow of asylum seekers, criminalising those who come here by irregu
trade that the prime minister has described as vile and the scourge of ministers who have vowed to crack down on it. indeed it is one of the prime minister s five priority. stop the boats as he puts it. but large numbers of people continue to come illegally in that way. the numbers of people continue to come illegally in that way. illegally in that way. the story behind you illegally in that way. the story behind you is illegally in that way. the story behind you is about illegally in that way. the story behind you is about bibby - illegally in that way. the story - behind you is about bibby stockholm which will house asylum seekers in dorset. when will that be operational? dorset. when will that be operational? dorset. when will that be oerational? ~ ., , ., ~ operational? we have been talking about it for a operational? we have been talking about it for a while operational? we have been talking about it for a while now operational? we have been talking about it for a whi