MINISTERS may need to learn lessons from the Bibby Stockholm  Legionella outbreak, Number 10 admitted today after asylum-seekers were removed from the barge.

The government remains committed to housing migrants on barges in the face of a row about its response following the detection of dangerous bacteria on board the ship.

Downing Street also insisted that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak retained confidence in Home Secretary Suella Braverman, as questions continue to be asked about when Home Office officials were first informed.

The government has said that Home Office ministers were not told about the situation until the night of August 10, despite claims a local council told the contractors running the vessel about its test results on August 7 – the day migrants were moved in.

On August 11 all 39 people who had boarded the floating accommodation docked in Portland, Dorset, were taken off again.

Tory-run Dorset Council said it informed the “responsible organisations” about the preliminary test results on August 7 and a Home Office official was then told about the discovery on August 8.

The migrants were moved on to Bibby Stockholm on the day the government’s “small boats week” started – a  policy blitz aimed at showing it was cracking down on migrants crossing the English Channel and tackling backlogs in the asylum system.

It is not clear when the asylum-seekers will return to the barge, with Downing Street refusing to give a timeline as officials await the result of further tests.

Dorset Council spokesman defended its handling of the situation, saying: “To be clear, it was not Dorset Council’s responsibility to inform the Home Office.”

Meanwhile, there were further signs of activity in the English Channel today following large numbers of migrants making the crossing in recent days.