In a bid to address the persistent issue of migrant boats crossing the English Channel, UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has expressed interest in studying Italy's asylum processing deal with Albania. During his visit to Rome, Starmer discussed the "concept" of Italy's arrangement with Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, who confirmed his "great interest" in the planned scheme.

Under Italy's five-year deal with Albania, some migrants rescued in Italian waters will be sent to the Balkan country to have their asylum claims processed in two centers funded and managed by Italy. This approach stands in contrast to the previously proposed Conservative plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. The Italy-Albania agreement ensures that successful applicants will come to Italy as refugees, while those with rejected claims will be detained in Albania until repatriation is possible. The scheme excludes certain categories of vulnerable individuals such as pregnant women and minors, and it prioritizes migrants from countries deemed safe by Italy, as their claims are more likely to be rejected.

While the Italy-Albania deal has faced criticism from certain human rights groups regarding the potential challenges in appealing failed asylum claims and the risk of leaving people in legal limbo, Starmer expressed interest in learning from the success of Italy's tactics in countering illegal migration. Italy's right-wing government, led by Meloni since October 2022, may not be a natural ally for Starmer's Labour Party, but pragmatic cooperation is sought to address the issue at hand.

In addition to exploring the Italy-Albania arrangement, Starmer also highlighted Italy's agreements with north African countries as an avenue worth considering. Italy has provided financial aid to Tunisia for education and energy projects in exchange for enhanced efforts to prevent migrants from crossing the Mediterranean. The country also has a collaborative agreement with the UN-backed Libyan government, in which Italy trains and supports the coastguard to deter migrant boats.

Starmer underlined that preventing people from leaving their home countries in the first place is more effective than dealing with arrivals in European nations. He expressed keen interest in exploring measures to address the root causes of migration rather than focusing solely on managing the consequences.

However, Starmer's decision to seek inspiration from Italy's approach has drawn criticism from some Labour backbenchers. MP Kim Johnson from Liverpool Riverside deemed it "disturbing," while Nadia Whittome, representing Nottingham East, expressed concerns about taking lessons from Italy's policies.

As the UK government continues its efforts to tackle migrant boat crossings, Starmer's pragmatic approach aims to learn from international examples, seeking effective strategies to address the complex issue of illegal migration.