Labour Party Leader, Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni met recently in Rome to discuss a range of issues, including immigration and collaboration between their respective countries. Meloni expressed Italy’s plan to offshore asylum applications in Albania and Starmer showed interest in this concept. The partnership aims to enable both nations to work together on immigration enforcement and legislation.
In addition, UK will contribute £4 million to Italy’s initiative to handle the root causes of irregular migration. Two Italian investments into the UK were also announced, including commitments from Leonardo and Marcegaglia totaling nearly £500 million that would support job growth.
The leaders also discussed the situation in Ukraine, with Starmer emphasizing the need to support Ukraine in the conflict with Russia. He mentioned the repatriation of over 3,000 migrants via flights since Labour won the election, denouncing the Rwanda deportation plan as a gimmick.
Furthermore, Starmer faced questions concerning gifts from a Labour donor, Lord Alli, but emphasized adherence to declaring such gifts according to rules. The Labour Party is facing a potential vote at the upcoming conference to extend its arms embargo against Israel, with pro-Palestinian groups advocating for broader measures to halt all arms exports.
Overall, the collaboration between the UK and Italy signifies a commitment to address immigration challenges, support Ukraine, and boost economic ties between the two nations. The investments and agreements made during this meeting signal a step towards closer bilateral relations across various sectors.
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