Starmer ‘very interested’ in Italian strategies to contain migration – The Irish News

Sir Keir Starmer is “very interested” in Italy’s strategies to reduce illegal migration, the prime minister said during his visit to Rome.

The “drastic reduction” in the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Italy is something the government wants to understand, the prime minister said, indicating he wants to look at further “upstream” work to tackle criminal gangs involved in people smuggling.

The prime minister is visiting Rome as part of his efforts to mend ties with the UK’s closest neighbours, with migration expected to be top of the agenda.

Ms Meloni’s approach to border control has led to a 60% reduction in sea arrivals over the past year, and a processing agreement has been signed with Albania, which is being compared to the arrangement in Rwanda.

Asked how the UK could copy Italy’s deal with Albania, the prime minister told broadcasters in Rome: “I am here to have discussions, here in this coordination centre and with the Prime Minister (Ms Meloni) about how we deal with illegal migration.

“There have been some pretty dramatic reductions here. So I want to understand how that happened.

“It appears that this is due to the work that has been done in some of the countries where people come from.”

He added: “I have long believed that prevention and preventing people from travelling in the first place is one of the best ways to address this particular problem.

“So I’m very curious to see how that work has gone upstream, and of course I’m looking at other plans. I look forward to my bilateral with the Prime Minister this afternoon, but we already have a shared intention to work together on this trade, this despicable trade, of pushing people across borders.”

Yvette Cooper has previously stressed that the Italy-Albania deal is not the same as the Rwanda plan that Labour scrapped when it came to power.

“It’s very, very different. So the arrangement that they’ve put in place – and look, it’s not working yet, so we don’t know how it’s going to work out – but it’s a very, very different approach,” she told BBC Breakfast.

The Interior Minister added: “First of all, this is Italian processing that takes place in Albania. It is under the supervision of the UNHCR, so it is monitored to ensure that it complies with international standards.

“It’s done in collaboration between those two countries. What they’re really doing is looking at the people who are arriving in Italy, who are coming from mostly safe countries, and they’re using it as a way to accelerate decisions and returns.”

She also told the BBC that the Italians were concerned with four areas of interest to the British government.

In addition to the Albanian programme, she mentioned the work of the Meloni government to tackle “organised immigration crime”, as well as work “upstream” in North African countries to prevent migrants from crossing the Mediterranean, and a “grand returns” scheme.

Ms Cooper said: “They are accelerating the return of those who have no right to be there. We have been doing that all summer, so we have a substantial increase in the return of people who have no right to be in the UK, because the rules have to be respected and enforced.”

Responding to criticism of Italy’s migration policy, the interior minister added: “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.”

Sir Keir announced that he would abolish the previous Conservative government’s deportation policy in Rwanda as one of his first moves in office, and declared ahead of his visit to Italy that there would be “no more tricks” to curb migration.

He and Ms Cooper recently held a summit to tackle the gangs that make the small boat crossings across the Channel possible, and now want to target organised crime in migration policy.