The UK is seeking to deny asylum seekers who have been denied their application a “hub” overseas while awaiting deportation, Prime Minister Kiel Starmer announced Thursday.
During his first official visit to Albania, Starmer told the press, “We have discussed return hubs with many countries and I see them as truly important innovations.” He stopped detailing which countries mentioned.
However, priorities ruled out the possibility of sending rejected asylum seekers to Albania. Recently re-elected Prime Minister Eddie Rama of the Western Balkan nation, said a similar agreement with Italy was “one-time only.”
Starme, who is in Albania, agrees to further steps focusing on tackling illegal immigration and organized crime — said it was “consistent” to reduce the intersection of previous work carried out by the UK and Albania with immigration across the UK channel.
Priority welcomed cooperation between the two countries as a success and reported a 95% reduction in the arrival of small boats in Albania over the past three years.
National media reports show that Albania has been ruled out as a potential host of the UK’s “return hub,” but the UK government is considering sending asylum seekers to other countries in the Western Balkans.
This week, a priority was to announce the controversial plans to cut migration to the UK in the government’s immigration whitepaper, and to deny these plans, the response to the success of the far-right reform British party, which has a hardline position on immigration in recent local elections.
The Starmer’s Return Hub Scheme explicitly targets asylum seekers whose claims have already been rejected.
Before Labour came to power in July 2024, the Conservative government grew up and spent heavily on plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda while applications were being processed.
In February 2024, the National Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights determined that Rwanda’s repeated bids were incompatible with the state’s rights and obligations.
