The Government has appointed a Border Security Commander to help “smash the gangs” behind the small boat crisis in the Channel.
On Saturday, 801 illegal migrants crossed on 14 small boats, the highest number since Labour came to power, and the second highest this year.
That brought the total to 23,200 so far this year.
During his meeting with Italian PM, Keir Starmer said he’s “interested” in learning about Italy’s scheme to send migrants rescued at sea to Albania to process their asylum claims.
When asked how Britain could replicate Italy’s Albania deal, the PM told broadcasters in Rome: “I’m here to have discussions, here at this co-ordination centre and with the Prime Minister about how we deal with unlawful migration.
“Here there’s been some quite dramatic reductions. So I want to understand how that came about.
“It looks as though that’s down to the upstream work that’s been done in some of the countries where people are coming from.”
He added: “I’ve long believed, by the way, that prevention and stopping people travelling in the first place is one of the best ways to deal with this particular issue.
Keir Starmer shakes hands with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Reuters“So I am very interested to know how that upstream work went, looking, of course, at other schemes, looking forward to my bilateral with the Prime Minister this afternoon, but we’ve already got a shared intent to work together on this trade, this vile trade, of pushing people across borders.”
A Downing Street spokesperson said the Government needs to take “an international approach to an international challenge” regarding migration.
The Italian premier told a press conference in Rome that she and Sir Keir Starmer had discussed the Albanian deal, adding: “The UK Government has shown great interest in this agreement.”
Meloni said they both want “to enhance this very good relationship between Italy and the UK” and “increase co-operation with the EU while of course respecting the post-Brexit rules”.
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