Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure from Labour backbenchers and NGOs to distance his administration from Giorgia Meloni’s hardline immigration policies ahead of upcoming bilateral talks in Rome.
After UK foreign secretary David Lammy suggested the UK might consider replicating Italy’s plan to process asylum seekers in a third country like Albania, one Labour MP questioned why a Labour government would “look to learn from a neo-fascist regime.”
Both the Refugee Council and Amnesty International urged Starmer to avoid further “gimmicks,” citing the previous government’s failure with the Rwanda scheme.
Tragically, eight men lost their lives while attempting to cross the Channel early on Sunday morning.
A 10-month-old baby, believed to be suffering from hypothermia, was among 53 people rescued off the coast of Ambleteuse in northern France when their boat was “smashed” against the rocks.
On Monday, the prime minister will travel to Rome to review how Meloni’s government has managed to reduce Mediterranean crossings in dinghies by nearly two-thirds over the past year.
Meloni’s strategy has centered on securing financial agreements with North African nations like Tunisia and Libya to bolster their border controls and prevent boats from departing.
This autumn, her administration will go a step further by opening a detention center in Albania where asylum seekers intercepted at sea by Italian rescue vessels will be taken for processing.
Kim Johnson, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside and former member of the Home Affairs Committee, called the agenda for the bilateral talks “troubling.”
“Meloni’s approach to Albanian migration has been criticized as a ‘blueprint for abuse and mismanagement’ by Human Rights Watch,” Johnson said. “It’s alarming that Starmer is looking to learn from a neo-fascist government, especially after the far-right riots and racist violence that swept Britain this summer.”
She further criticized high-security measures and harsh deportation policies, saying they fail to deter desperate asylum seekers and risk serious human rights violations.
“Instead, we should focus on fixing the deep flaws in our own asylum system—clearing the backlog of claims, ending the ‘no recourse to public funds’ policy, and creating a fair and humane system for asylum seekers and migrants,” she added.
Another Labour MP condemned the outreach to Meloni, calling it “shameful” and accusing her government of “dehumanizing and mistreating those fleeing war and persecution.”
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Lammy defended Starmer’s decision to engage with Meloni on irregular migration, noting that the discussions will focus specifically on the efforts Italy has made with Albania.
“They’ve implemented a comprehensive scheme involving Albania, as well as the Channel and southern Mediterranean routes, which migrants use. Naturally, we’re interested in discussing their approach,” he said.
However, a Home Office source countered Lammy’s suggestion that the UK might adopt Italy’s strategy of sending asylum seekers to a third country like Albania, saying this is “not current government policy.”
Italy’s plan to process 3,000 asylum seekers in Albania, the source added, has not yet reduced migration since it hasn’t fully started.
Meanwhile, Whitehall is keen to explore Italy’s enforcement measures against people-smuggling networks, including plans to open a coordination hub in Sarajevo and funding for anti-trafficking projects in Africa.
On Sunday night, Martin Hewitt, who previously chaired the National Police Chiefs’ Council, was appointed head of the UK’s new Border Security Command. Hewitt will oversee Starmer’s efforts to reduce small boat crossings.
Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, Steve Valdez-Symonds, said the UK should not be “offloading its responsibilities onto other countries—be it Albania, Rwanda, or elsewhere.”
Jon Featonby, chief analyst at the Refugee Council, echoed concerns, warning that such deals are “extremely costly” and often leave asylum seekers stranded in countries where they face grave dangers.
Frontex, the EU’s border agency, reported in July that Mediterranean migration had dropped by 61% in the first half of the year, largely due to Tunisia cracking down on smugglers, who had previously sent 40 to 50 boats a day to Italy.
Starmer’s administration has been willing to tolerate criticism from the left regarding immigration, aware that the issue remains a critical electoral concern in seats recently won from the Tories.
One of Starmer’s first decisions in office was to scrap the Rwanda deportation scheme, instead promising to focus on dismantling people-smuggling networks, particularly those along the northern coast of France.
Less than two weeks ago, 12 people died while attempting to cross the Channel. Among the victims were a pregnant woman and six children, with up to 65 people rescued near Cap Gris-Nez.
On Saturday, 801 people made the dangerous crossing to the UK—the second-highest daily figure recorded this year.
On Monday, Starmer will tour the National Coordination Centre for Migration in Rome, where he will observe Italy’s approach to irregular migration and discuss future collaborations with the Italian prime minister.
Asked whether Starmer believes Italy’s migration strategy alone could aid the UK, a spokesperson for the prime minister said: “Both nations face the same challenge of irregular migration. The PM believes addressing this international issue requires international cooperation.”
