Unconfirmed reports suggest barges housing asylum seekers could be moored in Suffolk
It comes after Rishi Sunak revealed two more vessels will be used for migrant accommodation
There are unconfirmed reports that a barge housing asylum seekers could be moored in Suffolk.
That's according to a national newspaper, and comes after Rishi Sunak revealed two more vessels will be used for migrant accommodation as he insisted his plan to stop Channel crossings was "starting to work".
According to The Guardian, these are expected to be moored at Teesport in the North East as well as in docks close to Liverpool.
The Home Office refused to comment on the reports, although the Government is expected to confirm which locations will be used in the coming weeks.
It comes after the Prime Minister declined to say where the two new barges would be moored amid widespread speculation one could be based on Merseyside.
A spokesman for Wirral Council told the PA news agency: "No decisions have been made and conversations are continuing with the Home Office."
The newspaper also cited sources which said discussions over the acquisition of further barges and disused cruise ships had taken place, meaning thousands of asylum seekers could be housed in vessels in Harwich in Essex, Felixstowe in Suffolk and the Royal London docks near City Airport.
These reports have not been confirmed.
In a speech in Kent on Monday, Mr Sunak said the number of people making the journey across the Channel was down by around a fifth since last year but acknowledged the Government has "a long way still to go".
But during his visit to Dover, he played down suggestions that fewer crossings were a result of poor weather conditions at this time of year rather than policy decisions.
Opposition critics likened the announcement of yet more measures to tackle the crisis to "Groundhog Day" and accused Mr Sunak of "cynical spin".
It comes as peers threatened to delay the Illegal Migration Bill until the Government publishes the "facts and figures" showing the financial implications of the proposals.
Opposition peers called for the proposed legislation to be stopped from progressing further through Parliament until the findings of an economic impact assessment could be considered.
The Telegraph said Mr Sunak indicated he was open to using the Parliament Act to push through the Bill if needed. The rarely used law allows the Commons to overrule the Lords.