Starmer criticised for seeking inspiration from Meloni on immigration
To tackle illegal immigration, Labour has vowed to “smash the gangs”. But will Keir Starmer take lessons from Italy - a country blasted by human rights groups for its approach?
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In brief…
- Keir Starmer travelled to Rome on Monday seeking to learn lessons from Italy’s “remarkable progress” on tackling immigration.
- He was criticised by left-wing Labour MPs for meeting Italy’s right-wing “facist” Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni.
- Human rights groups have also taken aim at Italy’s approach to immigration, deeming policies such as detaining asylum seekers in detention centres in Albania and Libya as inhumane.
What’s the story?
Keir Starmer is under fire for looking to Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni for inspiration on tackling immigration.
In a joint press conference in Rome, Starmer hailed the far-right populist leader for making “remarkable progress”.
The Labour leader is hoping to learn lessons from Meloni’s government, which managed to slash small boat arrivals to Italy by 60%.
But Italy, and Meloni in particular, has drawn criticism from campaigners and activists for the approach taken.
Since dropping the previous Government’s Rwanda scheme, Starmer has yet to state exactly how he will tackle migration. But he did make a manifesto pledge to “smash the gangs” smuggling migrants across the channel on small boats.
To do so, how much inspiration will the Prime Minister take from Meloni’s strategy?
What is Italy’s approach to immigration?
It most recently struck a deal with Albania to build new detention centres there, where migrants apprehended by the Italian coastguard will be held while their asylum claims are processed.
Italy has also struck deals with Tunisia and Libya, equipping and training the coastguards there to stop people leaving the countries illegally.
Starmer said this “appears to have had quite a profound effect” in slashing migrant numbers to Italy.
Italy also has an EU-backed deal with Libya to help return escaping migrants from detention centres. Those centres are often in conflict zones, while detainees are often kept in horrific conditions.
Why is @starmer meeting with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, a literal fascist, to discuss immigration? What does he hope to learn from her? pic.twitter.com/nThfvibxAV
— Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) September 16, 2024
What have Starmer’s critics said?
Most of the backlash has appeared to come from MPs on the Labour left.
Veteran Labour MP Dianne Abbot wrote on X: “Why is @starmer meeting with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, a literal fascist, to discuss immigration? What does he hope to learn from her?”
Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, posted: “Meloni's extreme far right government is no leader on asylum and immigration.
“Its policies have been repeatedly criticised by human rights organisations.
“Far from taking lessons from them, we should be building an asylum and immigration system with compassion at its heart.”
Another Labour MP, Kim Johnson, told the Guardian it is “disturbing” to see Starmer seeking lessons from Meloni.
The News Agents’ take
Jon says it was a bit “eyebrow raising” to see Keir Starmer and Georgia Meloni as “two potential soul mates”.
He discussed the meeting with Natasha Clark, LBC’s political editor, who notes that Starmer and Meloni are not exactly “political bedfellows”.
Clark points out Starmer is trying to build on the messaging around stopping the boats and his pledge to scrap the Rwanda scheme, but we have yet to see anything else concrete from Labour.
She says: “He knows that those boats are continuing to cross the channel. He had 800 migrants come earlier this week, just on one day alone. And this is going to be a real thorn in his side for him, which is why he made this trip to speak to Meloni earlier this week.
“If we know anything about Keir Starmer, we know that he's a guy that wants to look at the proof being in the pudding…He's prepared, to get into bed with Georgia Meloni, metaphorically.”