UK PM Starmer pledges migration cooperation ahead of Italy talks

ROME (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised “a new era” in cross-border cooperation to tackle people smuggling gangs ahead of talks on Monday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, part of his push to reset Britain’s relations with Europe.

Starmer has put renewing ties with European leaders at the top of his diplomatic agenda since winning an election in July, and Monday’s visit to Rome follows trips to Berlin, Paris and Dublin in recent weeks.

Heading to Rome to meet Meloni, who had close ties with Starmer’s predecessor Rishi Sunak, Starmer will stress his commitment to tackling illegal migration and the need to work with European partners to smash the business model of the illegal networks that fuel it.

Starmer has scrapped the previous government’s contentious plan to deport asylum seekers who arrive in small boats to Rwanda, but has not ruled out arrangements that would see asylum claims processed offshore, similar to an agreement Italy has struck with Albania.

Ahead of the talks with Meloni, Starmer said Martin Hewitt, a former chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, would run a new Border Security Command which would be empowered to lead joint investigations with other countries.

“No more gimmicks. This government will tackle the smuggling gangs who trade the lives of men, women and children across borders,” Starmer said, promising “a new era of international enforcement to dismantle these networks, protect our shores and bring order to the asylum system”.

Earlier on Sunday, French authorities said eight people had died trying to cross the Channel after their boat got into difficulty, bringing the death toll in attempted crossings to 46 since the start of the year.

Starmer’s Labour government has said it will step up deportation flights and use money saved from the Rwanda scheme to help law enforcement to tackle the crossings.

During his visit to Italy, Starmer will visit the National Coordination Centre for Migration to discuss Italy’s approach to the issue, which has seen a 60% drop in irregular arrivals by sea, his office said.

He will also raise defence matters in the talks with Meloni, which could touch on Britain’s involvement in the GCAP fighter jet project with Italy and Japan.

In July, Starmer emphasised the programme’s importance, dampening some speculation it could be axed in a defence review, but he stopped short of guaranteeing continued British involvement.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Helen Popper)