Sir Keir Starmer is looking into adopting Italy’s approach to handling migrant boats crossing the English Channel. During a recent visit to Rome, the UK Prime Minister discussed the concept of Italy’s asylum processing deal with the Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni. Sir Keir was interested in learning about Italy’s model of paying North African countries to curtail boat crossings, as deals with Tunisia and Libya seem to have had a positive effect on Italy’s reduction of migrant arrivals.
The Labour government had previously removed the Conservative’s plan of sending asylum seekers on a one-way ticket to Rwanda, which would force them to seek out refugee status in East Africa. However, Sir Keir indicated his interest in schemes that could process migrants’ applications abroad, mimicking the Albanian deal that Italy signed in 2020. Yet it remains unclear if the Albanian deal is replicable, as Albania may only have a deal with their closest European ally, Italy.
Sir Keir also expressed interest in Italy’s dealings with North African countries that helped to significantly reduce the number of migrant boats crossing the Mediterranean to Italy. Italy provided financial aid to Tunisia for education and energy projects in return for Tunisia’s efforts to combat illegal crossings. Moreover, Italy has a deal with the United Nations-backed Libyan government, whereby Italy trains and funds the Libyan coastguard to intercept migrant boats. Although these deals were beneficial in curbing the number of illegal crossings, it drew criticism from groups who questioned the treatment of those that were stopped.
In response to Labour backbenchers’ criticism, Sir Keir explained his pragmatic approach that consulted with friends and allies to tackle the challenge. The UK prime minister advocates for preventing migrants from leaving their country in the first place, rather than dealing with those who have already arrived
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
