Company that manages Bibby Stockholm given £100m Defra contract

Defra says contract with Australian firm CTM is for staff accommodation and travel, but offers no further detail

The company that manages the Bibby Stockholm barge used to house asylum seekers has been granted a 100m contract with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

It is the latest large government contract given to the Australian company Corporate Travel Management (CTM). The government was heavily criticised by the National Audit Office for its 385m contract with CTM to manage quarantine hotels during the pandemic, which cost the taxpayer 400m including 100m in unpaid room bills and fraud.