The UK has shown “great interest” in Italy’s migrant deal with Albania, Giorgia Meloni said, as Sir Keir Starmer claimed his Government would make a return to “British pragmatism” on migration.
Italian premier Ms Meloni also brushed aside humanitarian concerns about her country’s deal with Albania as “completely groundless”.
Migration was top of the agenda when the Prime Minister visited Rome on Monday to meet his counterpart as he seeks to reset relations with the UK’s nearest neighbours.
The Meloni government’s approach to border control has witnessed a 60% drop in arrivals by sea over the past year.
It has recently brokered a deal with Albania which will see irregular migrants who have entered Italy processed in the Balkan nation, a scheme which has been compared to the Rwanda plan Sir Keir’s Government scrapped.
Ms Meloni told a press conference in Rome that she and Sir Keir had signed a joint communique including “very tangible, important points, and is evidence of the deep relation between our two countries”.
She said they had discussed the Albanian deal, under which asylum seekers will be held in the Balkan state while their claims are processed within Italian jurisdiction, adding: “The UK Government has shown great interest in this agreement.”
Ms Meloni said they both want “to enhance this very good relationship between Italy and the UK”, and “increase co-operation with the EU while of course respecting the post-Brexit rules”.
The Prime Minister stopped short of explicitly endorsing the offshore processing scheme, which is expected to come into force later this year, insisting he was interested in Italy’s immigration policies more widely.
He later suggested Italy’s reduction in unauthorised migrant numbers was “more likely attributable to the work that the prime minister (Ms Meloni) has done upstream” than in the nascent Albanian deal.
He added: “I have always made the argument that preventing people leaving their country in the first place is far better than trying to deal with those that have arrived in any of our countries. I was very interested in that.
“In a sense, today was a return – if you like – to British pragmatism.”
The Italian government has faced criticism from humanitarian groups about its deals with Albania, but Ms Meloni told reporters in Rome: “I don’t know what human rights violations you’re referring to, to be totally frank.
“This accusation, I think it’s completely groundless.”
She added that migrants sent to Albania would be dealt with under Italian jurisdiction.
The UK is expected to give some £4 million to an initiative called the Rome Process, an Italian government scheme to tackle the root causes of irregular migration, following the meeting of the two leaders.
In an effort to renew trade bonds, Italian companies are, meanwhile, set to make investments into the UK worth almost £500 million.
Defence, aerospace and security company Leonardo will invest £435 million in 2024 to be spent at their Yeovil site and in technology and research schemes across the UK, according to Downing Street, supporting 8,000 jobs.
Steel manufacturer Marcegaglia will invest £50 million in Sheffield to build a new clean steel electric arc furnace, creating 50 new jobs.
On Monday morning, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper hinted at a British interest in the Italy-Albania deal and insisted it was not the same as the Rwanda plan.
“First of all, this is Italian processing taking place in Albania. It has UNHCR oversight, so it is being monitored to make sure that it meets international standards,” she told BBC Breakfast.
Responding to criticism of Italy’s migration policy, the Home Secretary added: “We’ve always had a history of working with governments that have different political parties that are not aligned.
“That is a sensible thing for any government to do. We have to work with democratically-elected governments, particularly those who are our nearest neighbours, and particularly those where we have shared challenges that we have to face.”
Sir Keir announced he was axing the previous Tory administration’s Rwanda deportation policy as one of his first moves in office and declared ahead of his visit to Italy there would be “no more gimmicks” to curb migration.
The Prime Minister and Ms Cooper have since introduced a new border security command with the aim of rooting out people-smuggling gangs responsible for facilitating small boat crossings through the use of counter-terror style tactics and intelligence sharing with European neighbours.
His emphasis on pragmatism comes after criticism from his back benches over his decision to study Italy’s immigration policies as he considers other ways to clamp down on unauthorised arrivals in the UK.
Kim Johnson, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, told the Guardian it was “disturbing” to see the Prime Minister seeking to “learn lessons from a neo-fascist government”.
Human rights groups have condemned the Italian administration’s approach to migration, including the Albanian deal, and suggested it could potentially put asylum seekers at risk.
Deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini also faces charges of kidnap and dereliction of duty over a decision in 2019 to stop a migrant boat from docking. He denies the allegations.
Asked what his message would be to critics who are concerned to see a Labour Government taking inspiration from an administration linked to alleged human rights abuses, Sir Keir said on Monday: “Italy is an ally. It’s a G7 member, it’s a Nato ally.
“We share a long history, we’ve got strong bilateral relations … We’ve got a common challenge and I think the more we can collaborate and co-operate with our partners on a shared challenge, the better.”