British Labor Party Leader Sir Keir Starmer travels to Albania to address the recurring issue of migration, aiming to establish a more permanent solution to the 'revolving door' phenomenon.
Sir Keir Starmer has swarmed to Albania, all set to spread the word on an extended offensive against migrant trafficking gangs thriving in the Balkans, a crucial stopover on the route to the UK.
With this expedition marking the first-ever visit by a UK prime minister, he aims high to fortify the tough message sent out this week regarding slashing the levels of both legal and illegal migration.
Sir Keir banks on shattering the crime syndicates as the government's primary strategy to tackle small boat crossings, which persist at record-breaking numbers this year; surpassing the 12,000 benchmark earlier this week.
This week also witnesses the announcement of new measures to prevent prisons from facing an overpopulation crisis.
In collaboration with officials in Albania, the country's success in stemming migration at the source is noteworthy, partially due to the actions of the previous Conservative government, whose strides Sir Keir intends to build on.
In 2022, Albanian nationals accounted for around a third of all small boat arrivals - a higher number than from any other nation. Over the last three years, these numbers have fallen 95%. The number of Albanians repatriated to their homeland also nearly doubled to 5,294 in 2024, from over 2,000 in 2022.
The premier will join Edi Rama, Albania's prime minister since 2013, at the Port of Durres on Thursday, where they will inspect UK-backed moves to throttle down trafficking gangs and the criminal activities supporting them.
The expansion of a program targeting migrants using fraudulent or stolen identification papers is in the pipeline, complete with the UK donating new anti-forgery gadgets. The UK plans to invest an additional £1 million in DNA technology to identify and prosecute serious criminals lurking on the British streets.
Sir Keir is also expected to air concerns about the "revolving door" effect, whereby a migrant is sent back, only to evade law enforcement and make another exit. He will support programs in northern Albania - the origin of most migrants - to reintegrate young people, offering them job opportunities.
Sir Keir will unveil that the joint migration taskforce, initially established with Albania and Kosovo, will now include North Macedonia and Montenegro.
The UK's National Crime Agency will share intel with law enforcement agencies in these countries, and deploy UK-backed drones to detect smugglers navigating migrants through the Western Balkans corridor and into the UK.
For the past five years, the Western Balkans, including Serbia, have served as the prime conduit for Middle Eastern, Asian, and African migrants seeking Europe.
Sir Keir will state, "Global problems demand collective answers, and the UK-Albania cooperation we're witnessing exemplifies this by increasing security for both countries' citizens. Our joint efforts to deter, detect, and return illegal migrants confirm our belief in intervening early to secure our borders and protect the British coastline."
On Friday, the prime minister will attend the European Political Community summit in the capital Tirana, an assembly for European leaders to deliberate upon security concerns in the wake of the Ukraine war. The meet might offer the UK an opportunity to discuss crucial aspects of a future defense accord with the EU and the terms of a relationship "reset" ahead of a London summit next Monday.
Tory shadow home secretary Chris Philp dismissed Sir Keir's visit as "theatrical." He opined, "Under the previous Conservative government, the returns deal with Albania resulted in a decrease of over 90% in small boat arrivals. So, why is Starmer now planning a trip to Albania to claim credit for it?"
Sir Keir Starmer's visit to Albania aligns with the politics of tackling migration, as he aims to expand the government's strategy against migrant trafficking gangs, a key issue in the general news. The dropping numbers of Albanian migrants, a significant source of small boat crossings, are a testament to the effectiveness of previous measures, some of which he intends to build upon.
In light of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the subsequent security concerns, the prime minister's attendance at the European Political Community summit in Tirana offers an opportunity to discuss future defense accords with the EU and redefine the relationship with the bloc, an important aspect of global politics.
