An accommodation barge has arrived at a port in England where it will house asylum seekers, as critics deem the UK government's migration plans "immoral and cruel" with them poised to become law.
The Bibby Stockholm was met by protesters as it was pulled by a tug into Dorset's Portland Port today, with the proposals to use it to house 500 migrants under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's bid to "stop the boats" crossing the Channel a month behind schedule.
The barge's arrival came after a night of drama in which the Tory frontbench saw off changes being sought by peers to the Illegal Migration Bill, including modern slavery protections and child detention limits.
The cessation of the stand-off between the unelected chamber and MPs paves the way for the Bill to receive royal assent.
The reforms are a key part of Mr Sunak's bid to deter people from making hazardous Channel crossings.
The reforms will prevent people from claiming asylum in the UK if they arrive through unauthorised means.
The UK government also hopes the changes will ensure detained people are promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda, which is currently the subject of a legal challenge.
Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, led national and international outrage at the Bill and said: "For decades, the UK has provided refuge to those in need, in line with its international obligations - a tradition of which it has been rightly proud.
"This new legislation significantly erodes the legal framework that has protected so many, exposing refugees to grave risks in breach of international law."
Alex Fraser, British Red Cross's UK director for refugee support, said: "This is a dark day that will cause a wave of fear and uncertainty for people seeking protection from violence and persecution.
"Ultimately, this law makes it impossible for the vast majority of men, women and children to claim asylum in the UK. It will leave many people, from places like Sudan and Syria, in detention, destitution and permanent limbo."
Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK's chief executive, said: "Disqualifying people's asylum claims en masse regardless of the strength of their case is a blatant assault on international law and is a failure of UK leadership.
"Ministers are using vulnerable and traumatised people for political ends - feeding the public misinformation about asylum issues, stoking resentment and division, and then pushing through ever more extreme measures to perpetuate the same policies that keep doing so much harm."
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "This is an important part of our work to stop the boats, obviously it needs to be paired with the Rwanda partnership, which is being challenged in the courts.
"But it's right that we have this power in place so it can be utilised swiftly and we remain confident we will be successful in the challenge in the Supreme Court."
The spokesman said when the Bill gets royal assent it will make "powers available" to Home Secretary Suella Braverman to start detaining people but does not "require" the move.
The Bibby barge left Falmouth, Cornwall, yesterday after undergoing work to prepare it for its new role.
But locals in Dorset have raised concerns about the Portland site being used to house asylum seekers and a band of placard-waving protesters gathered at the port's gate to meet the barge's arrival.
Resident Lorraine Beckett said: "It's not the right place to be homing all of these people and it's not right for Portland because we do not have the infrastructure on the island for the extra people coming in so that's why I feel strongly by it."
Downing Street defended the use of barges to house migrants, insisting it was a cheaper alternative to housing them in hotels.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "It's undergoing final inspections upon arrival.
"That's the last part of the process ahead of the first group of asylum seekers moving into the vessel later this month."
