The government has secretly handed an Australian firm a £1.6 billion contract to supply asylum accommodation on barges, The Independent has revealed.
Corporate Travel Management (CTM) was put in charge of the lucrative two-year arrangement in February, weeks before the government revealed it would use a barge as its first offshore accommodation for asylum seekers.
The contract was awarded directly to CTM without a competition, with three vessels in the works so far.
Commenting on the contract, which has been shrouded in secrecy, Richard Drax, the Conservative MP for South Dorset told The Independent that the spending seems “alarmingly high”.
“The point is this is taxpayers’ money. This contract might actually be separate to what the ports are being paid.
“Then on top of that the police want money, the health authority wants money, of course the council wants money, and yet the government continues to insist that this is cheaper than hotels. The overall figure will be alarmingly high.”
Related: Boris Johnson lands six-figure Daily Mail column – reports
