UK in talks with multiple countries over asylum seeker 'return hubs', PM Starmer reveals

The UK is looking to nonstop asylum seekers who person had their exertion rejected to “return hubs” overseas while they await deportation, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced connected Thursday.

During his first charismatic sojourn to Albania, Starmer told nan press, "We are successful talks pinch a number of countries astir return hubs and I spot them arsenic a really important innovation". He stopped short of detailing which countries he was referring to.

However, Starmer did norm retired nan anticipation of sending rejected asylum seekers to Albania. The Western Balkan country's precocious reelected Prime Minister Edi Rama said his country's akin statement pinch Italy was a "one-off".

Starmer — who is successful Albania to work together connected further measures focused connected tackling forbidden migration and organised crime — said nan plans were "consistent" pinch anterior activity done by nan UK and Albania to trim migrant crossings crossed nan English Channel.

Starmer's authorities has hailed nan practice betwixt nan 2 countries arsenic a occurrence and reported a 95% simplification successful Albanian mini vessel arrivals successful nan past 3 years.

Although Albania was ruled retired arsenic a imaginable big to British "return hubs," nan UK authorities is considering sending asylum seekers to different countries successful nan Western Balkans, according to reports from home media.

This week, Starmer unveiled arguable plans to trim migration to nan UK successful nan government’s Immigration White Paper and denied these plans were a consequence to nan occurrence of nan far-right Reform UK party, which has a hardline position connected tackling immigration, successful caller section elections.

Starmer's return hub strategy explicitly targets asylum seekers whose claims person already been rejected.

Prior to Labour coming to powerfulness successful July 2024, nan Conservative authorities drew up and spent important costs connected plans to nonstop asylum seekers to Rwanda while their applications were processed.

In February 2024, nan country's parliamentary Joint Committee connected Human Rights ruled that nan repetition Rwanda bid was incompatible pinch nan country's authorities obligations.