PM shows 'great interest' in Italy's offshore migrant plan
The Independent|September 17, 2024
Sir Keir Starmer has shown “great interest” in Italy’s controversial scheme to send migrants to be processed offshore, the country’s leader Giorgia Meloni has said.
KATE DEVLIN, ARCHIE MITCHELL
PM shows 'great interest' in Italy's offshore migrant plan

A defiant Italian premier also defended her deal with Albania, brushing aside humanitarian concerns as “completely groundless”.

Sir Keir has not ruled out a similar scheme in the UK and said he would employ “British pragmatism” when it comes to solving the small boats crisis, after a summit with Ms Meloni in Rome. The two met after another tragic weekend in which eight people died attempting to cross the English Channel.

Before the prime minister’s trip, No 10 praised Ms Meloni and said the pair would discuss her country’s success in slashing boat crossings by 60 per cent over the past year. As well as the yet-tobegin Albania scheme, the Italian PM has struck financial deals with countries including Tunisia and Libya in a bid to prevent small boats setting off from north Africa.

In the wake of the summit, the UK is expected to give some £4m to an initiative called the Rome Process, an Italian government scheme to tackle the root causes of irregular migration. After their meeting, Ms Meloni told a press conference: “The UK government has shown great interest in this [Albania] agreement.”

Earlier the home secretary Yvette Cooper defended the deal describing it as “very, very different” from Rishi Sunak’s widely condemned Rwanda plan. Under the Conservatives’ scheme, which Labour scrapped immediately after taking power, asylum seekers would have been sent on a one-way ticket to the African nation, whether or not their asylum application was successful.

Under the Meloni plan, Albania will accept asylum seekers on Italy’s behalf while their claims are processed. Those whose claims are successful, expected to be a small minority, will be brought to Italy, while failed asylum seekers from safe countries will be returned to their home country.

Bu hikaye The Independent dergisinin September 17, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye The Independent dergisinin September 17, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

THE INDEPENDENT DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
'I'm doing whatever it takes.for the team to be better'
The Independent

'I'm doing whatever it takes.for the team to be better'

Cheslin Kolbe, the Springboks' ultimate utility man, tells Harry Latham-Coyle about overcoming his diminutive size and difficult upbringing to make history with his 'brothers'

time-read
3 dak  |
November 09, 2024
'No excuses': England look to power past Aussie rivals
The Independent

'No excuses': England look to power past Aussie rivals

For England, Australia lurk like a snake in the Outback.

time-read
4 dak  |
November 09, 2024
The crisis at Arsenal points to something much deeper
The Independent

The crisis at Arsenal points to something much deeper

There's an example some modern coaches use to show a team has run out of ideas: it is when they start swinging in crosses, repeatedly, to no effect. Arsenal tried that 46 times against Inter on Wednesday. It isn't quite the 81 that David Moyes'

time-read
4 dak  |
November 09, 2024
Trump's victory will make Brexit even more painful
The Independent

Trump's victory will make Brexit even more painful

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in President Trump's Oval Office when the request arrives from Britain not to impose extra trade tariffs.

time-read
3 dak  |
November 09, 2024
British Airways owner IAG records 15% surge in profits
The Independent

British Airways owner IAG records 15% surge in profits

The owner of airlines British Airways and Aer Lingus has said its earnings soared in recent months due to \"the effectiveness of our strategy and group-wide transformation\".

time-read
1 min  |
November 09, 2024
Iranian operative tasked with assassination of Trump
The Independent

Iranian operative tasked with assassination of Trump

A fugitive Iranian government operative is accused of hiring a pair of New Yorkers he met in prison to carry out an assassination plot against a critic of the regime, and allegedly admitted to FBI agents that he had also been tasked with finding a hit squad to kill president-elect Donald Trump.

time-read
3 dak  |
November 09, 2024
Republicans in the lead in fight to control the House
The Independent

Republicans in the lead in fight to control the House

Republicans held on to a narrow edge yesterday as election officials tallied the final votes that will determine control of the US House of Representatives - and could see Donald Trump's party win a clean sweep, having already taken the Senate and the White House.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 09, 2024
Fresh flooding hits Spain after 'intense' rainfall
The Independent

Fresh flooding hits Spain after 'intense' rainfall

Fresh flash flooding has hit Spain's northeast, washing away dozens of vehicles, after more than 200 people were killed last week in one of the worst floods in Europe this century.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 09, 2024
Women and children make up two-thirds of Gaza dead
The Independent

Women and children make up two-thirds of Gaza dead

Women and children account for nearly 70 percent of all Palestinian deaths in Gaza verified by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), which has accused Israel of failing \"to comply with the fundamental principles of humanitarian law\".

time-read
2 dak  |
November 09, 2024
'We failed Jewish people again', admits Dutch king
The Independent

'We failed Jewish people again', admits Dutch king

Willem-Alexander reignites memories of pogroms in WW2 as Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters are attacked in Amsterdam

time-read
4 dak  |
November 09, 2024