British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged 'a new era' in cross-border collaboration to combat human trafficking networks during his visit to Rome on Monday. This trip, which included discussions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, marks a pivotal moment in the UK's renewed relations with Europe.
Since his election victory in July, Starmer has prioritized rebuilding ties with EU leaders. This Rome visit follows previous trips to Berlin, Paris, and Dublin. Prior to meeting Meloni, who had a close relationship with Starmer's predecessor Rishi Sunak, the British leader vowed to usher in 'a new era of international enforcement to dismantle these networks, safeguard our borders, and restore order to the asylum system'.
Starmer has abandoned the previous government's controversial plan to deport asylum seekers arriving by small boats to Rwanda. However, he has not dismissed the possibility of offshore processing arrangements, similar to Italy's agreement with Albania. 'We're interested in the work Italy and Albania are doing, but that is at an early stage,' said Interior Minister Yvette Cooper in an interview with ITV. 'What we're more focused on is the work around organized immigration crime, the smuggling, the trafficking gangs, because that's delivering results straight away.'
On Sunday, French authorities reported that eight people died while attempting to cross the Channel to the UK, bringing the total number of fatalities in such crossings to 46 since the beginning of the year. Starmer's Labour government has announced plans to increase deportation flights and allocate funds saved from the Rwanda scheme to enhance law enforcement efforts against these crossings.
In Italy, Starmer visited the National Coordination Centre for Migration to learn about Italy's strategies, which have led to a 60% reduction in irregular sea arrivals. 'Here there's been some quite dramatic reduction so I want to understand how that came about,' Starmer told broadcasters, expressing interest in both 'upstream' efforts to deter journeys and other initiatives. He also intends to discuss defense matters with Meloni, potentially touching on Britain's participation in the GCAP fighter jet project with Italy and Japan.
In July, Starmer highlighted the importance of the GCAP program, quelling speculation that it might be scrapped in a defense review, though he refrained from guaranteeing continued British involvement.
