Keir Starmer says UK can learn from Italy’s reductions in migrant crossings – live

The Government needs to take “an international approach to an international challenge” on migration, Downing Street said when asked if the UK was concerned about the treatment of migrants in countries like Tunisia.

There have been reports that some migrants have been abandoned in the North African nation.

Asked whether there were concerns about such reports, a Number 10 spokeswoman said: “Obviously we take that incredibly seriously and want to be working more closely with countries upstream.

“The principles that we’ll be following in everything that we do is that it is workable, affordable and in line with international humanitarian law.

“But it is vital that we stop people from starting these journeys, we’ve seen far too many deaths in the Mediterranean as well as the Channel.

“So it’s incumbent on us to take an international approach to an international challenge, to stop more lives being lost at sea, not just from the Channel, but also in the Mediterranean.”

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, has said the government should be restoring the UK’s “battered reputation on refugee issues” not “doing deals to offload its responsibilities”.

He said: “There should be no question of the UK doing deals to offload its responsibilities onto other countries – not Albania, Rwanda or anywhere else.

“After the Conservative government’s shameful attempt at this, the last thing needed is yet another government pursuing schemes to avoid fulfilling the UK’s comparatively modest refugee obligations rather than showing some leadership and taking responsibility.

“The Government should be trying to restore the UK’s battered reputation on refugee issues by repairing an asylum system that’s been deliberately sabotaged by successive home secretaries stretching back years.

“We need safe asylum routes to help end the exploitative practices of people smugglers, and we need a fair and efficient system for processing people’s asylum claims however they arrive.”

Italy’s “dramatic” reduction in irregular migrants travelling to the country looks to be the result of “upstream” work, Sir Keir Starmer said.

Asked how the UK could replicate Italy’s Albania deal, the Prime Minister told broadcasters in Rome: “I’m here to have discussions, here at this co-ordination centre and with the prime minister (Giorgia Meloni) about how we deal with unlawful migration.

“Here there’s been some quite dramatic reductions. So I want to understand how that came about.

“It looks as though that’s down to the upstream work that’s been done in some of the countries where people are coming from.”

He added: “I’ve long believed, by the way, that prevention and stopping people traveling in the first place is one of the best ways to deal with this particular issue.

“So I am very interested to know how that upstream work went, looking, of course, at other schemes, looking forward to my bilateral with the prime minister this afternoon, but we’ve already got a shared intent to work together on this trade, this vile trade, of pushing people across borders.”

Sir Keir has praised Italy’s success in reducing irregular migrants to and said  he is “very interested” in the countries strategies.

However, this hasn’t gone down well with some left-wing MPs within his party.

Kim Johnson MP told the Guardian that Starmer’s attempts to learn from Italy’s immigration policies are “disturbing.” She added that “higher security and draconian deportation measures fail to dissuade desperate people from seeking asylum.”

A Labour minister has also casted doubts on the supposed implementation of a Italy-Albania style deal.

“At the end of the day, as long as there’s demand to come to the UK there will always be smugglers who provide it,” they told The Times.

Sir Keir Starmer said he was “very worried” about what he said looked like an assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

The Republican presidential candidate was playing a round of golf at his club in Florida when a Secret Service agent had spotted the muzzle of a rifle sticking through a fence.

The PM told broadcasters in Rome: “I was very worried by the news about this attempt. Looks like an assassination attempt, very worried about it.”

He added: “Obviously, there’s now an investigation going on so I won’t say much more about the details, but I think it is really important that we’re all very, very clear that violence has no part to play at all in any political process.

“So, deeply troubled. Let the investigation take its place. But absolute clarity: violence, no place in political discussion at all, anywhere.”

The Prime Minister said it is “really important that the rules are followed”, when asked about declarations of the clothes donated to him.

For context, Sir Keir may be facing an investigation for a potential rules breach after a controversial Labour donor paid for his wife’s clothes. (Read the full report from my colleague Archie Mitchell here)

Speaking to broadcasters in Rome, Sir Keir Starmer said he wanted to “shed a bit of light on this”.

“It’s very important to me that the rules are followed. I’ve always said that. I said that before the election, I’ve reinforced it after the election.

“And that’s why, shortly after the election, my team reached out for advice on what declaration should be made so it’s in accordance with the rules.

“They then sought out for further advice more recently, as a result of which they made the relevant declarations.

“But for me it’s really important that the rules are followed. That’s why I was very pleased my team reached out proactively, not once but twice, because it is very important that we have transparency, very important that you and others can see the rules are being followed.”

Keir Starmer’s predecessor Rishi Sunak had a close relationship with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, and they were regularly pictured laughing and joking together at meetings.

In one of his final international outings as PM, Mr Sunak headed to a G7 summit in Puglia, Italy, to announce new funding for Ukraine.

As he arrived, he was greeted with a warm embrace from Ms Meloni, and she appeared to ask him “Are you OK?”

Watch the video below: