MADRID, August 15 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The British minister, Rishi Sunak, has stressed that his government remains “committed” to plans to detain some 500 migrants and refugees on a ship docked in Dorset, after warnings of a possible legionella outbreak complicated the start of a program that was already preceded by controversy.

British authorities had already started loading the first migrants — around 40 people — onto the ship when they were forced to transfer them again. Returning from vacation, Sunak avoided clarifying this Tuesday if he was notified of this health warning aboard the ‘Bibby Stocholm’.

“What happened in this case is that we followed all the procedures to ensure the health and welfare of the people,” Sunak explained to the media, in a statement in which he once again defended this initiative as an “alternative” to relocating migrants to hotels, which are more expensive.

‘Bibby Stocholm’ is the first stage of a plan to distribute around 3,000 people in accommodation other than hotels – from ships to military bases – and is part of a policy the UK wants, on the one hand, to reduce immigrants. arrived on its shores and, on the other hand, hastened the expulsion.

More than 500 people arrived on British territory on Saturday alone after crossing the English Channel, although Sunak and his Executive’s message and policy have met skepticism and criticism from organizations defending human rights, including the United Nations. .