Starmer meets Meloni in Rome: “Italy has achieved a drastic reduction in illegal immigration and I want to understand how it happened”

The ‘premier’ Keir Starmer He is visiting Rome to receive first-hand “lessons” from the Prime Minister Georgia Meloni on how to combat and control illegal immigration. On his trip to Italy, Starmer was accompanied by the former chief of police Martin Hewittat the head of the newly created Border Security Command.

“Italy has achieved a drastic reduction in illegal immigration and I want to understand how it happened” Starmer said during his first meeting with Giorgia Meloni, with whom he exchanged laughs in front of photographers.

“It seems that They have done a job at the source with the countries where people come from,” he added. premier“I have always thought that prevention and stopping these people from travelling from their countries of origin is the best way to deal with this issue.”

“I’m interested in hearing more details about the work they’ve done and that’s what we want to discuss at our bilateral meeting,” Starmer said before meeting Meloni. “We share the intention to put an end to this vile business that pushes people across borders.”

Starmer and Hewitt will visit the so-called National Immigration Coordination Centre and will learn first-hand about the strategy of strengthening security and international cooperation (especially with Albania) that has allowed reduce illegal immigration in Italy by up to 60% in the last year.

Starmer went even further in closing his meeting with Meloni and proclaimed the beginning of “a new era” in relations with Italy, taking over from his predecessor Rishi Sunak. Starmer personally thanked Meloni “for the leadership shown in supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.”

Emulate Meloni’s strategy?

Starmer assured before the meeting with the Italian Prime Minister that the Italian Government has “strong ideas that we are willing to discuss”. When asked if he is willing to emulate Meloni’s strategy, after having resigned from the plan Rwanda of his predecessor Rishi Sunak, the premier He replied evasively: “We’ll see… It’s still too early to tell.”

His visit to Italy comes a day after eight new fatalities in the English Channel, bringing the death toll for September to 20. The tragic incident, when a boat with more than 50 people on board sank, occurred in the early hours of Sunday north of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

More than 21,000 migrants have managed to reach British shores this year, a rebound from 2023, although far from the record of 45,755 crossings recorded in 2022.

Starmer assured that there will be no more “tricks” like the plan Rwanda to deport immigrants to the African country. “This Government will confront human trafficking gangs who trade in the lives of men, women and children across our borders.”

He premier has highlighted the Martin Hewitt’s appointment as “an expert with unique experience that will lead a new era of international enforcement to dismantle these networks, protect our coasts and put the asylum system in order.”

“I have no illusions about the challenges ahead but we will rise to them,” said Hewitt as he takes charge of Border Security Command. “For too long, organised gangs have been able to send people into Europe to make profit and have been responsible for the deaths of innocent and vulnerable people. We will dismantle them and bring them to justice.”

Criticism of the visit

Meanwhile, groups such as Amnesty International and the UK Refugee Council have lifted the Alarm bells ringing ahead of Starmer-Meloni meeting and they have warned the premier that does not try to emulate in the United Kingdom the drastic methods of the extreme right.

The meeting with Giorgia Meloni has provoked Internal criticism within the Labour Party Several MPs have questioned whether Starmer is “looking to take lessons from a neo-fascist government”.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s remarks that the British government would consider proposals such as “processing asylum applications through a third country such as Albania” have caused considerable uproar in Labour ranks.

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