Sir Keir Starmer has indicated he will examine Italy’s asylum procedures with Albania as part of a “pragmatic” approach to dealing with migrant boats crossing the Channel.
The prime minister told reporters he had discussed the “concept” of the Italian deal during talks in Rome with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni.
Meloni said Sir Keir had shown “great interest” in the planned scheme, which would see a number of migrants rescued in Italian waters sent to the Balkan country to have their asylum claims processed.
Sir Keir also said he was interested in the Italian model of paying North African countries to do more to stop boat crossings.
He added that the deals with Tunisia and Libya appear to have had “quite a profound effect” in helping Italy reduce the number of migrants arriving.
The Labour government has scrapped a Conservative plan to send asylum seekers on a one-way ticket to Rwanda, leaving them to apply for refugee status only in the East African country.
However, there has been interest in schemes where migrants crossing the Channel can have their applications for residence in the UK processed abroad.
Italy’s right-wing government, led by Meloni since October 2022, is not a natural political ally of Labour leader Sir Keir, but he has indicated he is keen to learn from the government’s tactics to tackle illegal migration.
Under the five-year agreement with Albania, signed last year, a number of migrants rescued by the Italian coastguard are sent there to have their asylum applications processed in two centres funded and run by Italy.
In a major difference from the Rwanda plan, those who succeed will come to Italy as refugees. Those whose applications are rejected will be held in Albania until they can be sent back to their home countries.
Only migrants from countries considered safe by Italy are sent. These countries have a higher chance of being rejected. Pregnant women, minors and other vulnerable groups are excluded.
The plan, which the Italian government says will cost €670 million (£564 million), was due to start in August but has been delayed, with Meloni saying it will take “several weeks” before it gets underway.
Criticism has been voiced by right-wing groups who question how to properly appeal rejected asylum applications, arguing that it could leave people in a legal vacuum.
En route to Rome, Sir Keir said he was “interested” in learning more about the plan and later confirmed he had discussed it during his meeting with Meloni.
The prime minister also discussed the model with his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama at a summit of European leaders in July, saying he wanted to “see what works”.
Speaking at a press conference, Sir Keir said the impact of the Italy-Albania deal was not yet clear as the plan had not yet come into effect, but he had discussed “the concept of it” with Meloni.
However, it is not clear how likely it is that such a deal could be repeated.
Albania, which is seeking to bolster its long-standing bid for EU membership, has indicated that such a deal has only been struck with Italy, the country’s closest ally in Europe.
‘British pragmatism’
Sir Keir also stressed that he was interested in the similarities Italy has with North African countries, which have become important hubs for migrants attempting the journey to Europe.
Together with the EU, Italy has provided Tunisia with financial support for education and energy projects in exchange for greater efforts to stop migrants crossing the Mediterranean.
Italy has an agreement with the UN-backed Libyan government under which Italy trains and funds the coastguard to intercept migrant boats.
Both agreements have proven controversial and have been criticised by human rights groups for the way they treat people who are not allowed to cross the border.
Sir Keir told reporters that this work to stem arrivals “upstream” was a “more likely” factor than the Albania deal in explaining the 64% drop this year in the number of people crossing from Africa to Italy.
“It is much better to prevent people from leaving their country than to try to deal with people who have already arrived in one of our countries. That is why I was very interested in it,” he added.
“In a sense today was a return – if you like – to British pragmatism.
“We are pragmatists first. When we see a challenge, we discuss with our friends and allies the different approaches that are being taken [and] “Look what works.”
However, some Labour Party members have criticised their leader for seeking inspiration from Meloni’s government.
Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson called it “concerning”, while Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome said the UK should not learn “lessons” from Italy.
