British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Thursday that the United Kingdom will initiate discussions with other nations to set up “return hubs” for rejected asylum seekers as a measure to address irregular migration.
Speaking during an official visit to Albania, Starmer told GB News, “What now we want to do and are having discussions of… is return hubs, which is where someone has been through the system in the UK, they need to be returned… and we’ll do that, if we can, through return hubs.”
The Labour leader is facing growing pressure to curb the number of irregular migrants entering the UK, especially those crossing the English Channel in small boats.
This issue has become more urgent amid the rising support for the hard-right Reform UK party, led by anti-immigration figure Nigel Farage.
During his two-day visit to a southeastern European country, tackling illegal migration was a top priority.
The trip follows Starmer’s government decision to abandon a controversial plan by the previous Conservative administration to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda.
Earlier this week, Starmer introduced a series of new immigration policies aimed at tightening the UK’s borders.
These measures include reducing the number of overseas care workers, lengthening the residency period before migrants can apply for settlement, and granting new powers to deport foreign criminals.
The Labour government had promised in its election manifesto to significantly reduce net migration, which reached 728,000 in the 12 months up to June 2024.
This followed a peak of 906,000 in 2023, a sharp rise compared to the average of 200,000 during most of the 2010s.
While legal migration has increased, the UK has also experienced record levels of irregular migration. According to an AFP tally based on UK interior ministry data, over 12,500 people have crossed the Channel so far this year.