Keir Starmer faces backlash from his own MPs over Channel migration over talks with ‘neo-fascist’ Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as he mulls deal with Albania after latest deaths

Keir Starmer faces backlash from his own MPs over Channel migrants as he holds talks with his counterpart in Italy.

The Prime Minister is in Rome to meet Giorgia Meloni, to discuss her tough approach to small boats crossing the Mediterranean.

Sir Keir was joined by former police chief Martin Hewitt, who was last night appointed the UK’s new Border Security Commander.

Downing Street said the prime minister wanted to learn from Italy, which has reduced the number of migrants arriving via the Mediterranean from 118,000 to 44,500 over the past year – a fall of 62 per cent.

The two leaders will discuss a radical new plan that would see thousands of illegal migrants arriving in Italy sent to Albania to have their asylum applications processed.

The issue has become more urgent following the deaths of eight migrants trying to cross the Channel last weekend.

But the prime minister is already facing criticism from within his own ranks, with left-wing politicians finding it ‘disturbing that Starmer wants to learn lessons from a neo-fascist government’.

Sir Keir at this morning’s breakfast meeting with business leaders

Sir Keir will hold talks with his Italian counterpart Georgia Meloni (pictured), who has overseen a sharp drop in the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean this year

Sir Keir is joined by former police chief Martin Hewitt, who was last night appointed the UK’s new Border Security Commander

This comes after French authorities rescued around 200 people off the coast of Calais in a 24-hour period on Friday night. (File image of migrants being taken to Dover as they tried to reach the UK earlier this month)

Ms Meloni believes the long-delayed plan will have a chilling effect on people seeking a new life in Europe.

Unlike the former British Rwanda scheme, persons with a valid asylum application ultimately have the right to settle in Italy.

Labour MP Kim Johnson told The Guardian: ‘Meloni’s handling of Albanian migration has been described by Human Rights Watch as a ‘model of mismanagement and a blueprint for abuse’.

‘It is disturbing that Starmer is trying to learn lessons from a neo-fascist government, especially after the refugee riots and far-right racist terrorism that plagued Britain this summer.

‘Have we learned nothing from the Tories’ failures? Increased security measures and draconian deportation measures do nothing to deter desperate people from seeking asylum, and risk significant human rights violations.

‘Instead, we should focus our efforts on the serious shortcomings of our current asylum system: reducing the backlog of applications, ending the lack of access to public funds and restrictions on work, and working towards a fair and humane system for asylum seekers and migrants.’

But Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told BBC Breakfast: ‘We have always worked with governments with different political parties that are not aligned.

‘That is a sensible thing for any government to do. We need to work with democratically elected governments, particularly those that are our immediate neighbours, and particularly those where we have shared challenges that we need to address.’

On possible violations of the human rights of migrants in Italy, Ms Cooper said: ‘I don’t think it’s immoral to tackle criminal gangs. On the contrary. I think it’s a moral obligation to make sure that we tackle criminal gangs that are putting lives at risk.’

She added: ‘The approach we have always taken is: you have to meet the right standards, you have to ensure that the humanitarian standards are met, and we will continue to do that.

“But we also need to make sure that we prevent crimes that undermine humanity. Such crimes are being committed and illegal trade can take place.”

“I think this is about what we do to protect vulnerable people, to get border security back on track and to make sure that the rules are properly followed and enforced.”

Sir Keir scrapped the Rwanda plan in his first week in office, calling it an “expensive ploy”.

But last weekend he expressed his interest in the Italian approach, known as offshore processing.

Asked about the Albanian plan, he told reporters: “Let’s see. It’s still in the early stages, I’m curious to see how it works, I think everyone is.”

The prime minister will also discuss Italy’s agreements with Tunisia and Libya, which have drastically reduced the number of people arriving via the North African coast.

Tunisia received almost £100m to improve border security and shore up operations. Italy also provided patrol vessels to pick up migrants in Tunisian waters. In a separate deal aimed at strengthening diplomatic ties, Italy paid Tunisia £85m to fund local education and economic programmes.

A No 10 spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister wants to discuss Meloni’s success in tackling illegal migration. Different countries have different approaches and they will discuss her country’s approach to tackling migration.’

Ministers are examining whether similar diplomatic and financial deals could be struck with countries including Vietnam, Turkey and Iraq, whose citizens make up thousands of the migrants who arrive in the UK each year.

Ms Meloni had close ties to Rishi Sunak and has been called ‘far right’ by some in Labour. Sir Keir acknowledged that the Italian prime minister had ‘strong views’ on immigration but said he was interested in working more closely with her on the issue.

The Prime Minister and Mr Hewitt are also visiting a coastguard coordination centre in Italy today to draw operational lessons from a country on the frontline of the EU’s migrant crisis.

Mr Hewitt is a former chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council and is best known for his role leading the police response to the Covid pandemic.

Georgia Meloni with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. A radical new plan that would see thousands of illegal migrants arriving in Italy sent to Albania to have their asylum applications processed.

The new role, which is expected to carry a salary of around £200,000, has been seen by some as a poisoned chalice, with former counter-terrorism chief Neil Basu turning down the role in the summer after being approached by Labour.

Mr Hewitt said last night that he “has no illusions about the challenges that lie ahead but is determined to meet them head-on”.

As head of the new service, he will play a coordinating role in the fight against people-smuggling gangs, working with MI5 and MI6, the National Crime Agency, Border Force, local police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Sir Keir said the appointment signalled there would be ‘no more gimmicks’. He added: ‘Martin Hewitt’s unique expertise will usher in a new era of international enforcement to dismantle these networks, protect our shores and restore order to the asylum system.’

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the new government’s approach was already delivering results, with closer cooperation across Europe having resulted in 70 operations to tackle people-smuggling gangs.

She added: ‘With Border Security Command we can go much further: building new law enforcement partnerships across Europe and giving us new powers to tackle gangs, tackle dangerous boat crossings and save lives.’