UK’s Starmer praises Italy’s Meloni for ‘remarkable progress’ in stemming illegal migration

NEWS WIRES

16 September 2024 at 6:43 am·1-min read

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday praised Italian PM Giorgia Meloni for her efforts to go after gangs that profit from illegal immigration, which he said have contributed to a 60-percent drop in the number of illegal migrants arriving in Italy by sea. Starmer said the UK and Italy would work more closely together on the issue and share data and intelligence. Starmer also expressed interest in Italy’s plans to process some asylum claims offshore in two centres due to open in Albania.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni on Monday for her efforts in reducing illegal migration, saying his "government of pragmatism" sought new approaches to the hot-button topic.

On his first visit to Italy since his centre-left Labour Party's landslide victory in July, Starmer expressed interest in the immigration policies of far-right leader Meloni -- including plans to operate Italian-run migrant centres in Albania -- and stressed the importance of cross-border cooperation.

"As a result, irregular arrivals to Italy by sea are down 60 percent since 2022," said Starmer, who has vowed to fight illegal migration at home.

"And now of course Italy has shown that we can."

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